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Q. Will the engagement products be in multiple languages?
A. Yes. Not all will be available in all languages we are supporting but the most commonly spoken languages the engagement team will be working with. Central ONS census support ensures there is guidance and help in all the languages we are supporting.
Q. Have there been any special considerations for engaging with those that are subletting or have visa irregularities who may not wish to identify themselves?
A. There are many reasons that people may not wish to identify various aspects of their lives on the census or even participate at all. The main concern for the groups mentioned here is their legal status, so messaging around anonymity of census data and the security of their data, will cover these groups.
Q. What can we cite as the benefits to completing the census for community groups?
A. This information should be in your handbook as well as many of your products and support materials. The most common things are housing, education and healthcare. See the Local Authority Partnership Guide
Q. How will you ensure that specific groups, such as the homeless, which are digitally excluded, aren’t missed?
A. CEMs will be engaging these groups by reaching out to representative organisations at grass root level e.g. local food banks, day/night shelters, homeless organisations/charities and using promotional materials such as posters in these places. National engagement is being undertaken centrally to cover these groups and targeting campaigns and other interventions will be reaching those at risk of digital exclusion.
Q. How much local activity do you expect us to do? And how much do you expect CEMs and CAs to do?
A. The CEMs and CAs will engage with your local community. We ask you to help them by providing your local knowledge and expertise to assist them in their engagement work.
Q. Will you also be engaging with services that certain groups (travellers or transient communities) have contact with e.g. GPs and schools?
A. Yes, we run school programmes and have engaged with the GP network and other community services used. CEMs can also reach out to local libraries, community centres and churches etc
Q. Will you be engaging at a national level with food banks which have helped reach a huge number of people during the COVID-19 response?
A. Yes, Trussel Trust are on our engagement list but there is also scope for CEMs to engage more regionally for example, Greatertogethermanchester.org
Q. Can we see our own KPGs i.e. broken down at a local level?
A. The geographic breakdown of Key Population Groups in your local authority is listed in the LA Area Profile. This was sent out recently as part of the correspondence informing you of the name of your local authority's CEM.
Q. Will an Equalities Impact Assessment be undertaken centrally or locally?
A. The census programme is completing an EIA centrally covering the work of the whole programme. Engagement, both national and local, forms part of this picture.
Q. Will we be able to use our voluntary sector to assist members of the public in completing the census form?
A. Absolutely use any existing networks or links you have as long as it is on the local level, (CEMs should check those that may crossover with Local Authorities and link up with relevant ACLM/CLM too).
Q. Will there be dedicated CAs working with universities/students?
A. Students are targeted in different ways than the local engagement the CEMs and CAs will carry out. There is a specific student campaign as well as many other processes and systems in place. There will be new roles for working with Communal Establishments. CEMs carry out specific tasks with universities as part of the communal establishments process to enumerate halls and other places of student residence.
Q. Is there a list showing which community advisors will be working in our LA i.e. the communities of interest?
A. This has already been shared with all local authorities who have been allocated a CA for a specific community. The CEM will be able to provide more information on any CAs working locally.
Q. Will local authorities be in direct contact with locally allocated specialist Community Advisers (e.g. Nepalese)? Will the CEM introduce them to us?
A. The CEM will be in regular communication with the local authority and is the line manager for the Community Adviser. The CEM will be the main contact for you. The CA will work with their community and meet regularly with the CEM. The local authority can meet the CAs but we’d want that to be done through the CEM.
Q. Which communities will the CEM be covering in our LA?
A. The CEMs will be engaging all Key Population Groups in your local authority. Your community priorities will be agreed when completing the Local Authority Partnership Plan (LAPP) with the CEM.
Q. How many local councils/populations does a CEM cover?
A. This depends on which LAs they are covering. Some LAs have more than one CEM, some share their CEM with other authorities, and some have one CEM working solely in their LA. Please see the email sent informing you of the name of the CEM for your LA. This will also tell you which LAs your CEM is working in.
Q. I would like to begin requesting consent for sharing community contact info, do you have a privacy notice we could use and an online form from ONS?
A. We will use the data in compliance with GDPR, in particular:
- It will be stored safely and securely
- Only use it for the purpose of the 2021 Census
- Limit access to only those who need to use it, and not share it with anyone else
- Delete it at the end of the 2021 Census programme
We are not able to provide an ONS form for you to complete. Please discuss GDPR with your local authority advisers.
Q. Will the census questionnaire be available in other languages online?
A. ONS undertakes the census for England and Wales so it can only be completed in English or Welsh but there will be guidance available in approximately 50 other languages to help as well as phone assistance.
Q. Do we know the questions already? Community partners will be reassured if we can talk them through what's coming.
A. Please find a link to the Census 2021 paper questionnaire which is available in English and Welsh.
Q. Will we be informed which areas are paper first and at what geographical level it is at (e.g. postcode unit, output area)
A. This information will be available for your LA through your CEM or through the LA team inbox: 2021Census.LA.Liaison@ons.gov.uk
Q. How did you decide where to send paper questionnaires?
A. To determine where to send paper questionnaires as initial contact, we have developed a digital hard-to-count index, which ranks lower super output areas based on data from DVLA on the online/paper driving licence applications and renewals, OFCOM data on broadband take-up, the median age of residents in the area and the geographical region. We use the digital hard-to-count index alongside the willingness hard-to-count index to identify which areas should receive paper questionnaires as initial contact, targeting them at those areas where we expect households to be willing to respond, but may be less likely to have the means or willingness to do so online.
Q. Have you considered the short-term impact of COVID-19 on the quality of the data, for example, work locations and movement of people?
A. Yes, we are aware of the potential impact of COVID-19 on data. The Census, as always, will depict a picture of the population at that time. The census is a snapshot based on one day - Census Day. Additional guidance will be included on the online questionnaire to help respondents and we are looking at ways to gather data affected by impacts of COVID-19 (e.g. boosting samples in surveys)
Q. If in lockdown, how will you address the issue of engagement with communities that don't access digital media?
A. Through representative organisations and working with them to see how they engage their community outside of digital platforms. Also, promotional content can still be displayed in places that are open to CEMs and places still open on restrictions can be contacted and engaged with in line with COVID guidelines.
Q. COVID-19 may have an impact on our support for CEMs as local authority staff involved in the census are not able to return to the office. Will this have an impact?
A. The CEMs will only organise meetings with their LA in accordance with Government Guidance. In the absence of meeting CEMs face to face, meetings can take place virtually.
Q. How will people who are shielding or self-isolating be engaged with if they need help completing the census and cannot complete it online?
A. There will be support to complete online and extensive guidance too. There is a helpline and they can call to request a paper form.
Q. Many religious buildings are not in use at the moment, so CEMs won't be able to just knock on the door - how will they engage now?
A. If churches and other religious buildings are closed CEMs must reach out to representative faith organisations instead by phone/email. Many, if not all, of these buildings have contact information available through simple desk research which is what the CEMs are working on at the start of their role.
Q. Do your contingency plans for pandemic/local lockdown include changes to how you expect to work with local authorities?
A. We continue to scenario plan for COVID-19 and will update and work with LAs through bulletins, newsletters, workshops and emails. CEMs will continue to meet with you virtually in accordance with national and regional guidance.
Q. The field design for students, CEs, homeless and rough sleepers was due to be shared with the LAs by now - do you know when we are likely to receive this?
A. The majority of information on these groups is now available in the LA Partnership Guide which is available on the website. There will be further updates but we will keep you informed of these via the LA newsletter.
Q. The US Census is just coming to an end and has therefore been undertaken during lockdowns so how will ONS learn from their experiences?
A. ONS works closely with Northern Ireland and Scotland on the census but also shares best practice with other countries such as USA, Australia and New Zealand.
Q. Will we have all the required printed promotional material supplied by ONS, or will we need to print locally? Who will determine quantities?
A. You will need to order the amounts needed and it will be sent out to you. We will let you know how to do this in a future newsletter. We are aware that many LAs are paper-free so all of our products are available online.
Q. When will the LA Communications Toolkit be ready?
A. The Communications Toolkit will go live by the end of November 2020. We will let you know when it is available. The Media Toolkits are currently being sent to all LAs. Let us know if you have not received these by the end of November.
Q. Can you circulate links to the resources, for example, the Councillor Handbook and the LA Partnership Guide.
A. Links to the updated versions of these will always be available in our newsletters. Please see the downloadable resources section of the census website for a selection of other resources.
Q. Is there a date for when details of the Census Support Centres will be released?
A. Details will be shared with LAs by the end of November through the CEMs. You can also obtain this information for your area through our team inbox. (This will exclude phase 3 procurement which has not been finalised yet.) Please check the Good Things Foundation website to see whether your local authority has any remaining gaps)
Q. What is the Schools Education Programme. How is it promoted? Do you contact schools directly? Can we help?
A. We have promoted these programmes to primary and secondary schools and they are now able to register. We hope that you are also able to promote this through any education leads at your LA. Please find the Eventbrite link to register for our Campaigns and Social Media Workshop to find out more about our plans for the schools campaign.
You can find more information about the programmes at www.census.gov.uk/education
Q. What is the source(s) of the data in the area profiles?
A. The Census 2011 data is taken from multiple tables. At the bottom of each table there is a caption stating which table the data came from. Total population and age group data for your local authority is taken from our 2018 Mid-Year Estimates.
Q. How do you sign up to the monthly LA newsletter?
A. Please email 2021Census.LA.Liaison@ons.gov.uk to request to sign up for our LA newsletter.
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