HIFIS Data Request Protocol for Service Providers

1. Introduction

a. The purpose of this Data Request Protocol is to establish a structured and efficient process for CHAT-Participating Service Providers to obtain data from HIFIS. Moreover, this protocol is intended to ensure that data requests are not burdensome to the Coordinated Access Data Lead and are relevant to their mandate. This document is supplemental to the Data Sharing Agreement.

2. Parties Involved With Data Sharing

a. Lakehead University (LU)

i.LU is identified as the Coordinated Access Data Lead (CADL) and has the primary responsibility for HIFIS operations in the District of Thunder Bay including implementation, data management, data analysis, data reporting to CEs, ongoing operation, training, and support of HIFIS;

ii.LU is the HIFIS Application Host for all data collected and shared by the parties to this protocol;

iii.LU, as CADL, is given "shared ownership" of the aggregate HIFIS data.

iv.Shared ownership stipulates that the CADL can analyze and report on aggregate HIFIS data to the Government of Canada, Designated and Indigenous Community Entities, provincial funding bodies, service providers and other relevant stakeholders;

V.LU, as HIFIS Application Host, does not own identifying data;

vi.LU is responsible for sharing relevant aggregate data or conducting basic analysis with service providers that the Designated and Indigenous Community Entities have approved.

b. Designated and Indigenous Community Entities (CEs)

i.Lakehead Social Planning Council and the Thunder Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre are the Designated and Indigenous Community Entities, respectively

ii.The CEs are responsible for developing and implementing a community plan for the City of Thunder Bay to reduce homelessness, of which Coordinated Housing Access is a mandate;

iii. The CEs are responsible for defining community data indicators collected for the City of Thunder Bay in HIFIS for CHAT;

iv.The CEs are responsible for reporting progress on the community plan back to the community and the Government of Canada, using aggregate data from HIFIS;

V.The CEs are responsible for reviewing data requests from service providers to ensure that these requests are relevant to CHAT or Reaching Home.

c. CHAT Service Provider/Access Point

i. Service providers are responsible for following the common intake process, through CHAT Access Points, for entry into CHAT;

ii. CHAT Access Points are responsible for providing accurate and timely data collection on HIFIS;

iii. Service providers are responsible for providing up to date, accurate information on their housing services and supports, including eligibility criteria and current vacancies for the inventory of services on HIFIS;

iv.Service providers are responsible for ensuring the integrity of data entered into the HIFIS software in the course of service delivery;

V.Service providers may request statistics or basic analysis for reporting purposes.

3. Why Request Data?

a. From time to time, service providers may require data for reporting purposes;

b. Service providers may also use data to understand service provision or demand.

4. Request Process

a. CHAT service providers or access points will complete the Data Request for Service Providers form (see Appendix);

b. The CEs will review the request and make a decision based on:

i. The nature of and reason for the request;

ii. The relevance of the data requested to the mandate of Reaching Home or CHAT;

iii. How this data is being shared;

iv. Any ethical considerations;

V. Relevant timelines or due dates.

c. The CEs will respond to the request by either accepting, rejecting, or requesting changes to the request in an email with the service provider requesting data and the CADL;

d. The CADL will review the request and confirm if this request is feasible;

e. The CADL will then fulfill the data request if possible.

5. Responsibilities for the Parties

a. All parties must take all reasonable measures to preserve the anonymity and confidentiality of CHAT clients.

i. Data will be shared in aggregate form when possible.

ii. Any identifying data (e.g., Name, Contact Information) will be removed from the data if the data is unable to be shared in an aggregate form.

iii. If there are any cells that are <5, the cells will be represented by '<5' to preserve anonymity of individuals.

iv. Service providers will report the purpose for sharing data, with whom or where they will share data, and how.

V. All parties must store data on secure servers. The collected data should be stored and managed according to the organization's data retention policies and privacy regulations.

b. Timely review

i. The CEs will review and respond to any data requests in a reasonable amount of time;

ii. The CADL will respond to data requests in a reasonable amount of time;

iii. The length of time between initial response to data request and fulfillment of data request will vary on a case-by-base basis.

c. Decision-making

i. All decisions regarding data requests must be made unanimously between the Designated and Indigenous Community Entities;

ii. If there is disagreement between the approval of a request, the request is automatically considered to be denied or requiring revisions.

d. Data validation and quality control

i. The CADL will verify the accuracy and integrity of the collected data;

ii. Any inconsistencies or missing information should be addressed before submitting the data;

iii. If there are any concerns about the accuracy and integrity of data (e.g., concerns regarding how data was input, consistency, missing data), the CADL will communicate this to the service provider.

e. Record keeping

i. A record of all data requests, instructions, and communications should be maintained by the CADL for future reference and auditing purposes.