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Research Governance in Haringey

This information is important if:

you are a member of the public or work for an external organisation, and you wish to conduct a piece of research involving users of adult social care services provided by or on behalf of Haringey Council, or their personal records; or
you are a member of staff at the Council or a Council contractor, and you conduct research or consultation exercises involving users of adult social care services, or their personal records; or
you have been asked to participate in a research project.

What is Research Governance?

The Research Governance Framework (RGF) has been drawn up by the Department of Health. It aims to ensure that all research undertaken within health and social care organisations conforms to a set of common standards. These standards are:

ethics – safeguarding the dignity, rights, safety and well-being of participants as the primary consideration for all research studies;
science – checking that no unnecessary duplication takes place, and conducting appropriate independent review of all proposals by relevant experts;
information – ensuring free and comprehensive access to information on research in progress and on completed research findings;
health and safety – prioritising the health and safety of research participants, researchers and other staff at all times;
finance – ensuring financial probity, compliance with the law and with requirements for use of public funds.

Haringey Council implemented the RGF from 1 April 2008 in all the social care services for adults it provides and commissions.

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Why is Research Governance necessary?

Haringey Council is keen to encourage research within its adult social care services as a valuable tool for learning, user engagement and empowerment, and service improvement. However the Council also has a duty of care towards staff, service users and carers.

Having a system to record, assess and monitor research and research-related activity:

promotes best practice in research and research-related activity;
helps to avoid unacceptable risk, including risk of:
- harm to participants in the research, or the researchers, or
- generating unreliable or invalid results, or
- going over the agreed budget, or
- breaching data protection requirements;
promotes efficiency and reduction of ‘consultation fatigue’, by avoiding duplication of research activity through central review and logging;
improves dissemination of current and future research findings;
contributes to genuinely evidence-based policy;
promote equalities and diversity, as good research is inclusive research;
smoothes compliance with freedom of information and complaints requirements, by ensuring relevant information about all research is readily available; and
facilitates greater public acceptance where necessary for any research undertaken.

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What are Haringey Council’s responsibilities?

Before research takes place, the Council is responsible for ensuring that:

a sponsor has been identified who is willing to take overall responsibility for confirming that everything is ready for research to begin;
an independent review has taken place to ensure that the research is worth doing and that it meets the required standards;
the quality of the research methods has been independently reviewed by a qualified individual or organisation;
adequate arrangements are in place for the financial management of the research;
there is free access to information both on the research being conducted and on the findings of the research (once these have been subjected to appropriate scientific review); and
the safety of participants, and of research and other staff, is given priority at all times and Health & Safety regulations are strictly adhered to.

What does Research Governance mean if I want to conduct a research project?

If your project involves collecting information from or about individuals who are adult social care service users, their relatives and friends, or employees of adult social care services, you must work within the RGF. Currently the RGF does not apply to Council services other than adult social care.

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What does Research Governance mean if I’m asked to take part in research?

Hopefully you will feel confident that any research you are asked to take part in is a good and necessary piece of work. The research should be explained to you clearly, and once the study is finished you should be told about the results.

What should I do next?

If you wish to carry out a research project which is covered by the RGF, you must:

read thoroughly and follow carefully the Council’s formal policy and procedure document for research governance
complete the application form for external researchers
complete the Risk Assessment Tool that is used to assess applications and is also available to download for information.

Copies of all these documents can be viewed in the attached files section at the end of this page.

After submitting your application, the Research Governance Co-ordinator will normally contact you with the Council’s decision (approval, rejection, or a request for amendments) within 30 days.

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If you are a student at Middlesex University and will be carrying out the research project for your course within Haringey Council services, your application to the University incorporates the requirements of the RGF and you do not need to submit a separate form to the Council.

If you are unsure whether your research project is covered by RGF, please contact the Research Governance co-ordinator for advice.

If you have been asked to take part in a research project and you have any questions, you can contact the Research Governance co-ordinator.

Further information

If you have further questions, please read the Council’s policy and procedure document for research governance, which is available in the attached files section at the end of this page. This includes detail of the Council’s process for considering applications.

If you still have any further questions, please contact the Council’s Research Governance Co-ordinator:

Research Governance Co-ordinator
Policy and Strategy Team
Adult, Culture and Community Services
Haringey Council
40 Cumberland Road
London
N22 7SG

Telephone: 020 8489 3751

Attached Files
Filename	Filetype	Size
research policy and procedure april 2008.pdf	PDF	197K
external haringey rgf application form.doc	Word	198K
research risk assessment tool.doc	Word	144K
eia rgf.pdf	PDF	66K
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