Maintenance Enforcement Survey (MES)

Detailed information for 1999/2000

Status:

Active

Frequency:

Annual

Record number:

3324

This survey collects statistical and descriptive information on child and spousal support payments from provincial and territorial maintenance enforcement programs.

Data release - August 1, 2002

Description

The Maintenance Enforcement Survey (MES) collects statistical and descriptive information on child and spousal support payments. The information is collected from maintenance enforcement programs (MEPs). These programs, which exist in each province and territory, assist in the enforcement of child and spousal support payments. The data do not cover all support cases in Canada, as there are also orders that are enforced privately. Thus, while the MES does not provide information representative of all support orders, it can be considered a census of a sub-population of those cases, the ones registered in the MEP.

The MES gathers aggregate information on maintenance enforcement cases, and on some of the key characteristics associated with those cases. Data include the caseload of the maintenance enforcement programs, sex and median age of payors and recipients, number and median age of children affected, typical support amounts, legislation under which the order for support was made, compliance rates, information on arrears, frequency and amounts of payments, and types of actions that programs have to initiate in order to enforce the cases.

The MES is designed to provide information for use by government policy-makers, maintenance enforcement programs, researchers, the media and the public. Information relating to the management of support orders will support the administration of justice nationally by providing data about caseload and case characteristics.

Statistical activity

The survey is currently administered as part of the National Justice Statistics Initiative (NJSI). Since 1981, the federal, provincial and territorial Deputy Ministers responsible for the administration of justice in Canada, with the Chief Statistician, have been working together in an enterprise known as the NJSI. The mandate of the NJSI is to provide information to the justice community as well as the public on criminal and civil justice in Canada. Although this responsibility is shared among federal, provincial and territorial departments, the lead responsibility for the development of Canada's statistical system remains with Statistics Canada.

The survey is currently administered as part of the Courts Program. The objective of the Courts Program is to collect and disseminate information on the operation of the court system in Canada.

Reference period: Fiscal year

Collection period: During the month following the reference period (for annual data) and during the month following the reference month (for monthly data)

Subjects

  • Civil courts and family law
  • Crime and justice

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The universe includes all support cases that are enrolled in maintenance enforcement programs (MEPs).

Sampling

This survey is a census with a cross-sectional design.

This methodology does not apply.

Data sources

Data are extracted from administrative files.

The Maintenance Enforcement Survey draws on information from the administrative databases in operation in the maintenance enforcement programs (MEPs) in the provinces and territories. The data are collected so as to conform to a set of national definitions, rather than provincial or territorial level definitions.

Computer interfaces are developed that map survey concepts to MEPs information system. The data are then electronically pulled off the system in aggregate form. These data files are forwarded to the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) electronically according to a reporting schedule.

Error detection

A number of tools have been developed for the MES to minimize or correct errors.

System error may be introduced during the extraction and transcription of provincial or territorial data into MES format. The CCJS has attempted to minimize this source of error by implementing a standard interface development methodology that requires a complete testing of the software by both the CCJS and the province or territory prior to implementation.

The MES data processing systems may introduce systems errors and editing errors into the data. To minimize the impact of these errors, all systems developed at Statistics Canada, including the MES data processing system, are subject to logic testing by the developer, user acceptance testing performed by the CCJS and/or the Methodology Division of Statistics Canada, and volume testing performed by the system developer.

The maintenance enforcement programs provide data for the survey's 16 standard tables. A number of these tables have control totals, i.e. totals that are the same. The data are verified to ensure that these totals match. Data are also verified to ensure that table sub-totals and totals match the sum of their components.

Imputation

This methodology does not apply.

Estimation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Quality evaluation

The incoming data are assessed for consistency and completeness. Every year, a data quality report and a set of verification tables are sent to reporting jurisdictions for their review and verification prior to release. These reports also highlight problems, if any, that were observed during analysis of the data, and include an historical trend analysis of the main indicators such as caseload, total monthly amount due and compliance.

The products from this survey are subject to both institutional and peer review (directors of maintenance enforcement programs, justice departments, etc.).

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any data which would divulge information obtained under the Statistics Act that relates to any identifiable person, business or organization without the prior knowledge or the consent in writing of that person, business or organization. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

This survey collects data in aggregate form. Therefore there is no individual level data.

Nevertheless, the data have been subjected to a confidentiality procedure known as "random rounding". Under this method, all figures, including totals and sub-totals, have been randomly rounded either up or down to a multiple of 3. While providing strong protection against disclosure, this technique does not add significant error to the MES data.

Data accuracy

This survey collects aggregate census data as extracted and compiled by maintenance enforcement programs. Formal data quality indicators, beyond annual respondent verification and review for accuracy and consistency, are not part of the survey methodology.

Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia participate in the survey. These seven participating provinces represent about 90% of Canada's population. However, only Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and British Columbia provide data for all the tables (annual and monthly). Quebec and Alberta provide monthly data and some annual data as well, while New Brunswick and Ontario only provide monthly snapshot data.

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