countability. Collecting and holding information centrally, as with the children in need census data, enables valuable local comparisons to be made that would otherwise be very difficult without the structure of a centrally defined data collection. It enables local authorities to have a more robust and richer data source when linked to other central data collections. A fully completed census allows local authorities to better understand variations in social care activity and practice and benchmark themselves against national averages and their peers. Local authorities can draw from this nationally held data and use comparative information from other local authorities to evaluate the effectiveness of their local services to drive commissioning, as well as to improve working practices and improve the outcomes of some their most vulnerable and disadvantaged children. Furthermore, the children in need census can encourage local authorities to construct robust systems for collecting information on and monitoring disabled children and other children in need. This will help local authorities ensure that they meet their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA). Information from the children in need census, when used alongside local authorities own locally held information, such as that described within the Children’s Safeguarding Performance Information Framework, can be used to help understand and provide 15 context for discussion and debate about the effectiveness of services and an understanding of what is working and where there may be problems to resolve. 16 1.5 Data structure The number of instances of each module per child is shown in the children in need 2023 to 2024 logical data model: Figure 1: children in need census 2023 to 2024 structure Children C