School of Arts and Social Sciences 28 April 2010

 9.00 – 9.30 School Ethics Framework, Ethics procedures  9.30 – 9.45 Data Protection

 9.45 –  Informed Consent  Mental Capacity Act  Vulnerable adults & children  Covert research  Human Tissue Act – Coffee Break – Subject Specific case studies & breakout

 Framework is supportive of staff activities, and not intended to prohibit activity  Processes are meant to ensure good practice and a climate of reflective practice  Ethics Framework will itself remain flexible and subject to updating as appropriate, and as our experience grows

 Intention is to ensure that initial scrutiny and “sign off” takes place within the subject area, where minimal risk is identified  Current system of Departmental Committee => School Committee reflects this

Receives and authorises all student related RE forms and authorises where possible Provides feedback from curriculum and programme developments to School/University procedures Receives and stores RE1/RE4 on an annual basis Provides administrative support to Ethics Activities where required Receives all staff related RE forms and authorises where possible Provides feedback from subjects and practice to School/University procedures Receives RE forms not agreed at Dept level for authorisation Organises Annual Report/Audit Establishes process and procedure across School Reports to School Research Committee and liaises with University Ethics Working Party School Ethics Committee Dept R&E Committee Dept DQCRED Office

 RE1 - Staff Ethics Checklist  All academic staff in the School should complete form RE1. The form should be updated when substantial changes have occurred and preferably on an annual basis. These forms should be forwarded the Senior Administrator of the RED Office for attention of the Research Sub-Committee and will be deposited in the School's research record store.

 RE2 - Staff Research Projects  All staff undertaking new research projects should complete form RE2. This should then be discussed and approved at Subject Level (for example, this could be done at Departmental Research and Enterprise meetings). If there are no starred answers, then the RE2 should be approved at Departmental level.  If the research involves recruitment via the NHS governance approval must be sought from the local NHS Trust R&D department and ethical approval from the Local NHS Research Ethics Committee.

 RE2 Cont.  If the research involves recruitment via Social Services the project must also be reviewed by the Local Authority's Social Care Ethics Committee. If the research project involves major ethical issues, or will involve a conflict of interest, then it must be reviewed by the School Ethics Committee prior to being sent for external approval. If there is a legitimate reason for not seeking written consent, then this should be explained on form RE2. It is recommended that researchers consult the guidance of appropriate professional associations in relation to informed consent, for example from the British Sociological Association.

 RE3 - Undergraduate/  Masters Student Checklist  The student and Principal Supervisor/Tutor should complete form RE3 at the first supervisory meeting. Students will need to be informed of the School’s ethics procedures in advance of the first supervisory meeting, especially as they will be expected to have read the relevant University documents. The process of ethical review will be managed at departmental level and overseen by research supervisors. Supervisors will undertake expedited review when the potential harm to participants and others affected by the research is minimal.

 RE3 cont.  Where research involves more than minimal risk full ethical review should be carried out at Departmental Board/Ethics Committee  Where there are any concerns following this process the Supervisor will refer the issue to the School's Ethics Committee for full ethical review and approval

 RE4 – Participant Consent Form  Research or consultancy projects that involve face-to-face interviews, focus groups, direct observation or similar methods of data collection, should normally be given an Information Sheet (or leaflet) and be asked to sign Participant Consent Form (Form RE4).  All RE4 forms must be deposited in the School's research record store which is maintained by the RED office. 

 RE5 – Research Information for Participants  Potential recruits to research must be given sufficient information to allow them to decide whether or not to take part. Consequently before they are asked to sign a consent form, participants should be provided with an Information Sheet. This should be written in simple, non-technical terms and be easily understood by a lay person.

 RE5 cont.  The Information Sheet should normally contain the following: study title; invitation paragraph; purpose of the study; reason for being chosen; explanation that their participation is voluntary; explanation of methods; possible benefits of taking part; results of the research; who is organising or funding the research; who is reviewing the study.

 RE6 – Departmental Ethics Report  This form should be used where the Departmental Committee is unable to give approval to a project – the form records the Committee’s concerns

 RE7 – Undergraduate/Masters Student Checklist  To be completed for all research undertaken (funded and unfunded) by staff, in the event of Audit.

 RE8 – School Ethics Committee Report  To be completed by the Chair of the School Ethics Committee only when unable to approve the project.

 RE9 –Approval for Module based activity  To be completed by the Module Tutor as part of the Module Approval process  Newly introduced process, currently being piloted in the School  Intended mainly for UG taught modules, usually containing externally facing group- work

RE9 cont. Activities are not classified as 'research' per se and are therefore governed by health and safety concerns rather than by ethics. They are activities designed to contribute to the taught element of the module - any data collected is not normally treated as real research data and is discarded once the session is completed.

 School Website  Framework Document  RE suite of forms  Quick Guide  University Website  Shared Drive

 Research and Enterprise Development (RED) Office  Debra Shannon, School Registrar, Secretary to School Ethics Committee, ext 3180

 Members of School Ethics Committee  Dr Alison Holland, Chair  Dr Alex Cowan, Dept of Humanities  Dr Robert McKenzie, Dept of Humanities  Dr Matt Smith, Dept of Social Sciences  Dr Paul Langley, Dept of Social Sciences  Dr Craig McLean, Dept of Social Sciences  Matt Hargrave, Dept of Arts  Dr Ysanne Holt, Dept of Arts  Dr Lesley Twomey, Dept of Languages  Ben McConville, Dept of Media  Dr Ian Inglis, Dept of Media