NCJ Number
244683
Date Published
May 2012
Length
31 pages
Annotation
This report discusses appropriate options for measuring and reporting the socioeconomic status of children whose deaths are subject to review by the NSW (New South Wales) Child Death Review Team.
Abstract
This report from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Social Policy Research Centre discusses appropriate options for measuring and reporting the socioeconomic status (SES) of children whose deaths are subject to review by the NSW Child Death Review Team. The primary reason for measuring and reporting on the SES of families of deceased children is to determine whether any links exist between the child's death and SES, or particular causes of death, in order to develop appropriate preventive actions and strategies. The report begins with a discussion on the concept of SES and how it relates to children. The report next discusses definitional and measurement issues that must be addressed when developing these options. As indicated in the report, single variables such as occupation, education, and income appear to be the best possible measures of SES. The report also indicates that the use of composite indications can provide a more robust measurement of SES. The report recommends that the base measure of SES for children who have died should be presented using the quintiles of the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage (IRSD). This index is a widely used measure of SES. Tables, figures, references, and appendix