Guideline 3: Client characteristics
This guideline provides practical steps for collecting, recording, and using client data while ensuring consistency and security.
For client data to be useful, it must be:
- Consistent – Defined and recorded the same way by all service providers.
- Easy to analyse – Collected in a format suitable for data analysis.
- Accessible – Stored in a way that evaluators with consent can access it (Guideline 2).
This guideline discusses the elements of good data collection and provides guidance and definitions for a recommended Minimum Dataset (MD). Justice services funded by ACT Government are required to collect the MD, which is comprised of:
- client characteristics (this Guideline), and
- activities and outputs delivered by your program (Guideline 4).
This guideline provides practical steps for collecting, recording, and using client data while ensuring consistency and security.
An example data collection tool (spreadsheet) is provided as a template. The tool should be read and used alongside the detailed definitions and guidance provided in this Guideline from pages 6 to 37.
You should use this resource as part of:
- Stage 1 of the workflow map, Plan before you start collecting data to plan your data storage and privacy
- Stage 2 of the workflow map, Create your project plan to select data sources, design data collection tools and seek ethics clearance
- Stage 3 of the workflow map, Collect data to gather client characteristics data.
To understand where you should use each resource read the full workflow map [PDF 1.55MB].