Disability services for children and young people

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Welfare and Health, Social Statistics
Jane Christensen
39 17 39 20

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Disability services for children and young people 2022

The purpose of the statistics Disability services for children and young people is to shed light on the number of disability services that are granted by Danish municipalities to children and youth with a reduced physical or mental functional capacity. The statistics are used, among other, for policy making, in the public debate and for academic research. The statistics are compiled for the first time in 2022 with data on services granted from 1 January 2022. These statistics have replaced summary information, on compensation benefits, which have previously been collected and published in connection to the statistics on social resources.

Statistical presentation

The statistics consist of an annual compilation of the number of disability services, granted on the basis of relevant sections of the Danish Act on Social Services, to children and youth below 18 years of age who have a reduced physical or mental functional capacity. The statistics contain information on the number of granted measures and the number of beneficiaries. Data are presented and classified by age, sex and the type of disability measure. Data are also classified by municipalities and provinces. The statistics are published in StatBank Denmark and a NYT article (News from Statistics Denmark), authored in Danish by Statistics Denmark.

Statistical processing

Data is collected continuously from the municipalities' administrative systems, or via Virk.dk. Existing information is updated with what is reported during the year. Data is collected in a longitudinal register, which contains all persons who, during the first 17 years of life, have received disability compensatory measures according to the Service Act. Data is validated and possibly corrected. by the municipalities and subsequently the municipalities approve the data as a fair expression of efforts for the year in question. After this process, the reported information is aggregated and supplemented with data from the population statistics register.

Relevance

The statistics are relevant for researchers, journalists, social authorities (including the ministries and municipalities) and other interested in disability services granted to children and youth.

Accuracy and reliability

Disability services for children and youth can be granted by different departments of the municipalities. As the municipalities use different digital systems for data reporting and transmission, the data are not registered systematically and uniformly. Municipalities provide services and administer the cases differently and can thus register the same case/measure on different sections and subsections of the legislation. The full extent of such practice is not known.

Timeliness and punctuality

The statistics are published approximately 6 months after the end of the reference period. The statistics are published without delay according to the scheduled publish date.

Comparability

The statistics are best comparable with data on disability services, which previously have been collected and published in the statics on social resources. Data cannot be compared directly internationally.

Accessibility and clarity

The statistics are published in Nyt fra Danmarks Statistik, a press release authored in Danish by Statistics Denmark.

Data are also published in Statbank Denmark, in the section on disability: Handicapområdet. For more information, see the subject page of the statistics.