Social Scope
Sector-led benchmarking.
Last updated: 19 Sep 2025
Vision and purpose
Many organisations face challenges in navigating complex data systems and administrative demands; Social Scope responds to these challenges by providing a simple, user-friendly benchmarking tool, allowing organisations of all sizes to access the insights they need without extra workload.
The Social Scope pilot, funded by the Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF) through the Empowerment Fund, supports organisations in strengthening their early intervention measures and overcoming persistent sector challenges related to data accessibility and benchmarking.
By transforming existing service data into meaningful, comparable insights, Social Scope allows organisations to better understand their impact.
A collaborative sector-led approach
Social Scope is a solution built by and for the child and family services sector. The project draws on insights from child and family service organisations, responding to feedback on data barriers and the need for improved information exchange.
Social Scope’s mission is to create a sustainable and scalable tool that benefits the entire sector.
Social Scope offers:
- Access to real-time, sector-wide data to support more informed decision-making
- Benchmarking against statewide trends to help organisations understand their performance in context
- A consistent, shared approach to early intervention, grounded in evidence and collaboration
By centring the voices and needs of service providers, Social Scope is laying the groundwork for a stronger, more connected sector where data supports impact, not administration.
Pilot delivery and sector involvement
The Social Scope pilot will involve up to 15 child and family service organisations. Participants will have the opportunity to test the new benchmarking tool and provide feedback to inform further refinement and development. Throughout the pilot, participating organisations will upload data on a quarterly basis to the purpose-built, secure infrastructure.
All data will be de-identified, aggregated, and shared back with participants in a clear and accessible format to support reflection and learning.
Participants will be supported during the process through a combination of in-person and online engagement, including forums designed to explore the data-transferring process and gather feedback on the website design and functionality.
The Centre will encourage broader sector input throughout the pilot to enable the wider sharing of knowledge, benefits, and lessons.
Data security and privacy
Next steps
The development of Social Scope marks a meaningful step forward in strengthening service evaluation and embedding continuous improvement across early intervention programs. Rooted in the insights and expertise of the child and family services sector, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to using data ethically, practically, and impactfully.
We are committed to sector-wide collaboration at every stage—whether through direct participation in the pilot, governance oversight or as critical contributors helping shape and refine the approach.
Social Scope offers an exciting opportunity to build a more connected, data-informed future, supporting better outcomes for children, families, and the organisations working alongside them.
We will share further updates and opportunities to get involved as the initiative progresses – watch this!
Frequently asked questions - general
How many organisations will participate in the pilot?
Up to 15 organisations are expected to participate in the pilot.
Will we need a secure page for each agency to access data?
No. For each data drop, you’ll receive a report that is specific to your organisation. The data will not be shared beyond your organisation. You will only see the results relevant to your organisation.
What level of analysis will an organisation receive after submitting data?
- Analysis will be conducted at the organisation level only.
- You will receive insights into how your organisation compares to state-level aggregates.
- While there may be differences in data collection methods across organisations, we will work with you to accommodate those variations.
How will data be transferred securely?
The ideal solution would be a direct extract from your case management system, but most organisations don’t have that capability.
- For the pilot, we’ll use a Comma-separated values (CSV) template to simplify data transfer.
- Long-term, we aim to invest in a solution where organisations can download a flat file from their system, which we can then process directly.
Is the data stored?
No, the data is not stored.
What are the expectations around preand post-measures and early intervention definitions?
- We will capture pre- and post-measures related to consistent interventions.
- While there will be variation in program duration and delivery, a program can be included if it meets the broad definition of early intervention.
- We won’t be prescriptive about the measures used – you can continue using the tools and metrics that work for your organisation.
What types of datasets are you looking for?
We are looking for data related to:
- Who – demographics of participants
- What – program type and engagement
- When – case timeline within the system
We’ll collaborate with the pilot organisations to determine which outcomes are most relevant.
Will you prescribe which measures to use?
No, we won’t prescribe measures.
- The goal is to work with the data you already collect and use it meaningfully.
- If only demographic data is available, that will still be valuable.
- We’ll align your de-identified data with other organisations’ data where possible, without requiring additional work from you.
How will the data be validated?
We will use validated methodologies to deliver meaningful and reliable outcomes.
- We will clearly define the sample size, so you know if the data reflects 15 families or 1,500.
- We will also explore new measures through our own validation, including exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
Will the system integrate with Infoxchange?
Not at this stage.
- API access to Infoxchange is difficult, but we hope to explore this in the future.
- Higher-level conversations around CRM and case management systems will continue as the pilot progresses.
What is the time commitment for the pilot?
Set-up phase (April 2025 to June 2025):
- A half-day information session to explain data transfer, the website prototype and feedback loops.
- A one-on-one consultation to work through your data and how it will be processed.
Do you have an example of the data fields required for the pilot?
Yes, the data fields will include:
- Who – demographic information
- What – program type and engagement
- When – case timeline within the system
We will clarify the exact data structure once we start working with each organisation.
Does my organisation meet the early intervention definition?
If your programs help prevent the need for more serious services, they are likely eligible.
Organisations must align with early intervention principles as defined in the Early Intervention Investment Framework (EIIF):
- An early intervention program or service is any initiative that helps prevent increased demand on the system.
- Organisations will assess their own alignment with this definition.
Frequently asked questions - data handling and security
Where will the data be stored?
All data is processed within the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare’s (The Centre) secure Microsoft Azure environment, hosted in Australia. Each participating organisation is provided with a dedicated and isolated storage container, accessed only via secure SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol).
Social Scope does not retain raw organisational data. Once the data is processed and aggregated, all original files are permanently deleted. Only aggregated, de-identified data is retained for reporting purposes–never individual–level or
identifiable information.
How long is an organisation’s data in the system?
Each data collection cycle includes a two-week window during which organisations can upload their data via SFTP. Once that window closes:
- Data is aggregated across all participating organisations.
- All uploaded organisational data is then manually and permanently deleted from the system.
- This approach ensures that raw data is only retained for a clearly defined, limited period, aligned with privacy and governance expectations.
What is the data retention period for aggregated data?
Only de-identified, aggregated benchmarking data is retained after the raw data is deleted. These insights are kept for up to seven (7) years, in line with standard data governance and reporting requirements. No raw, client-level, or case-specific data is retained beyond the two-week processing window.
Are backup copies of the data stored separately?
No. All data–both operational and backup–is stored within the same secure Azure environment, managed by the Centre. Backups are created only for aggregated, de-identified data, not for raw files, and are subject to the same seven-year retention and deletion policies.
What validation process is in place to ensure data has been fully deleted?
Validation of data deletion is enforced through a two-layer
approach:
- Programmatic deletion: The system is configured to automatically purge raw data once it has been processed and aggregated. This is embedded into the data ingestion pipeline to ensure raw files do not persist beyond their required use.
- Manual verification & internal controls: At the end of each two-week upload and processing cycle, the technical team conducts a manual check of all storage containers to verify that raw data has been fully removed. This step is logged and auditable, ensuring transparency and compliance with privacy obligations.
What security protocols and compliance 7 measures will be implemented to protect the data during transfer and analysis? How is the data protected during transfer and analysis?
Social Scope has been designed with enterprise-grade security protocols in partnership with NTT Data. These include:
- Encryption in transit and at rest, using HTTPS, TLS, and Azure-managed encryption keys
- Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) for all data uploads
- Role-based access control managed through Azure Entra ID (formerly Active Directory)
- Automated, low-touch ingestion using Azure Event Grid and Logic Apps
- Pipeline execution through Managed Service Identity (MSI) to remove reliance on passwords and manual handling,
All processing occurs within the Centre’s dedicated Azure environment and complies with Australian privacy and data sovereignty standards.
Will any data we provide be used for secondary purposes or shared with other parties? What measures will be in place to prevent this?
Data will not be used for secondary purposes or shared with other parties. Only de-identified, aggregated data will be shared with participants in the pilot. Data security protocols and measures are detailed above.
Will we have input into determining the key metrics for benchmarking?
The benchmarking metrics in the pilot reflect sector input and in future iterations, the key metrics will be further informed by what has been learnt from the pilot, through user feedback and experience.
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