Research projects and approval
Governance decisions
We aim to make a decision on applications within two to four weeks depending on demand. Your application will be assessed in terms of quality, relevance and feasibility in light of our organisation resources and demands. We receive many requests to support research, and we cannot support them all. We will prioritise research we believe is greatest benefit to our clients, our organisation and the social work profession.
Applications will be assessed by the Research Manager and expert colleagues in relevant areas of Children’s Services. Applications will also need in principle support from the senior and operational managers involved to approve staff time.
If you receive a letter of support for your research this may contain conditions you will need to accept and/or amendments to your research in order to continue. These will be made clear to you.
When is research governance approval required?
If you are undertaking an evaluation, this does not need research governance approval. The decision whether the Children’s Trust will be involved is up to the senior and/or team managers in the teams who are being asked to participate.
Research:
- creates generalisable knowledge and seeks to make a contribution to knowledge
- is more theoretical
- focused on testing theories or questions, or explorative research areas
- the quality and results are judged by peers
- draws conclusions
- intended to be published in academic and/or peer reviewed publications
Evaluation:
- creates applied knowledge and judges the effectiveness of specific interventions or programmes, against set goals
- the knowledge is intervention or programme specific
- the quality and results are judged by stakeholders who use the findings
- is often linked to funding requirements and decisions
- report to stakeholders and professionals, not academic or peer reviewed publications
Research governance approval is also not required when Children’s Trust staff are collecting routine management and feedback information as part of business as usual services and support. This includes feedback from children and families, unless it meets the definition of research above.
However when children and families are being engaged by Trust staff and/or others to obtain feedback, it is important the parities overseeing and implementing the activities give careful thought to the way in which people are engaged and the potential impact on individuals. For example, information gathering exercises should:
- consider whether this information is already being gathered, and avoid duplication in feedback exercises
- inform people why information is being sought from them and how it will be used, particularly how it may feature in public arenas.
- be clear whether information provided will be treated in confidence and reported anonymously
- inform people if they indicate they or another individual is at risk of harm, this information will be passed onto relevant parities such as allocate children’s social workers, adult’s social care, and the police
- consider the potential to cause harm or concern to the people from which information is being sought by the process of information gathering, and whether any potential support mechanisms need to be put in place, such as providing information on support services
- engage people in safe, accessible and comfortable surroundings; using methods that meet the needs of the people being engaged. For example the following factors should be considered: venue, time, days of the week, language and interpretation requirements, the type of the information gathering tools, tailoring approaches for learning disabilities, physical accessibility, etc
Contact details
Rachael Lickley: Research Analyst