Implementation of the Children's Services National Minimum Data Set: a feasibility study

This report examines the feasibility of implementing the Children's Services National Minimum Data Set (CSNMDS) - a nationally agreed set of administrative data items that aims to provide answers to some of the key policy questions in relation to child care and preschool services in Australia. It found that to date, most states and territories have not incorporated the CSNMDS data items into their collections, due largely to cost and feasibility issues. The Australian Government Census of Child Care Services incorporated a significant proportion of the CSNMDS data items in its 2006 revision. However this census is not an ongoing collection. The objective of establishing a collection that is comprehensive and national in coverage remains to be achieved.