Supporting you to understand research governance and ethics Emily Lamont Senior Research Manager NFER Claire Easton Senior Research Manager NFER

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Today’s webinar will: be interactive! –Please ask questions and share your experiences briefly explain why governance and ethics are important. give an overview of what research governance processes are in place. provide an opportunity to share some hints and tips.

Let’s start with some polls...

What is research governance and why is it important? Research governance ensures : - quality research - the rights, welfare and wellbeing of those involved is protected. It’s important because: - research includes an element of risk (and benefits) which must be managed appropriately - it enables organisations to assess, record and monitor research activity. Research governance and ethics

How does governance differ from ethics? Ethics must be considered throughout the research. includes confidentiality, consent and avoiding harm. Governance is about ensuring high standards in research, including ethics. includes checks made before the research can begin. ethics may be just one of the checks.

Protocols you need to be aware of National NHS Social care ADCS and ADASS Regional NHS research ethics committees Regional research governance committees Local Your organisation’s local protocol Your partner agencies’ or research participants’ protocol/s

National processes Usually necessary when working across a number of services or geographical areas. Securing national level governance may help with the process of securing regional/local governance. Tend to be well known, and more widely accepted as a standard step in the research process.

Regional and local processes Should always be applicable, even in small pieces of research. Often necessary in addition to national level governance. May be less well known or publicised. May mean that you need to complete the process for a number of different areas in which you wish to carry out your research.

What are the barriers to research governance approval? What do you feel are the most important elements of a research governance process?

As a minimum, we think research governance protocols need: To consider scope A lead contact and SMT support Promotion Clear definitions of research To check ethics, methods, documents Consideration for local needs and circumstances Clear processes for application, review and feedback.

Share your experiences, tips and tricks and ask us questions! What are your tips for negotiating research governance processes? How long did it take to complete the form/s? How much time did it take for you to get approval? Are your colleagues aware of the need for research governance approval? –What are the best strategies for making them aware?

Relevant resources –Research Governance guide (forthcoming) –Ethical considerations –Research ethics for interviews and focus groups –Ethics for research with children, young people and vulnerable adults –Research ethics for surveys. Available on the reason website!

reason – what to look out for Resources on research and evaluation –Research governance –Evaluating training –Value for Money assessments (part 2) Webinars –Case study examples of bespoke projects undertaken Regular news e-bulletins Regular case studies of bespoke work on the website.

Top Tips keep an eye out for interesting projects in your department/organisation - you might want to evaluate their impact contact us if you would like support undertaking particular research or evaluation – sign-up to the reason e-bulletin and keep informed of evaluation developments look at the wealth of resources focused on evaluation on the website

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