1. Research Governance - the Local Authority context
Chris Russell, Independent Consultant
Research Governance
Development Project (DH/KCL)

2. How many Local Authorities?
150+ Councils with Social Services Responsibilities (CSSR) in England
Most are unitary authorities (single-tier); remainder are County Councils (two-tier)
Councils vary significantly in terms of population size, service configuration and resources (£££, staff, skills…)

3. How many RGF systems? (1)
Each council is an autonomous political body, so…
This means 150+ separate RGF systems
It also means – potentially – over 150 different RGF systems
In practice, many RGF systems are similar, having been built on shared experience

4. How many RGF systems? (2)
Feedback from 88 Councils in indicates that:
68% have RGF arrangements 17% have never had RGF
15% will have, or have had, RGF (ie. systems in a state of development or ‘on hold’)

5. What has helped? (1)
In-house research capacity - staff, skills, knowledge and enthusiasm - plus the willingness to share experience
DH Start-up grants – small but effective!
DH supported Resource Pack
DH funded training workshops

6. What has helped? (2) National and regional organisations:
ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services)
SSRG (Social Services Research Group)
RiP & RiPfA (Research in Practice – children and adults)
MRC (Making Research Count)

7. What has helped? (3) Informal sharing and formal alliances –
Regional groups and consortia, eg:
Midlands
South East Authorities (SEARIG)
London Alliance
Greater Manchester
Yorkshire
South West London
‘Teeswide’

8. Finally…
To help cash-strapped councils keep RGF on the agenda, the development of web-based resources will be ever more important:
RGF “know-how” – online Resource Pack
Bigger picture – online access to skills & knowledge to build research capacity
Networking with peers – online community of practice