Research Governance

In 2001, the Department of Health published the Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care (RGF) in order to address standards of research in health and social care.  The RGF applies to every local authority social care department in England and Wales.

In Cumbria, this means all research and consultation must be reviewed and approved by the Cumbria Social Care Research and Consultation Governance Group BEFORE it can start.  The group ensures that service users' and employees' interests are safeguarded and that research and consultation is of high quality and is ethically sound.

The Department of Health defines research in the context of social care as,

"any kind of 'disciplined enquiry' involving the systematic collection of data and using explicit research methods and techniques where information is collected from or about individuals, who may be either service users, their relatives and friends, members of the public, or employees of the Department.  This may take the form of a project funded from outside the Department or authority, a project carried out by someone working within the Department of authority or any combination.  Interviews or surveys carried out as part of service reviews, consultations and other forms of non-financial audit are included, but the routine collection of management information is not."

Formal research, service audits and evaluations, student projects, and any activities involving surveys, focus groups, evaluations, reviews or consultations, are, therefore, regarded as research for the purpose of the RGF for social care.

For further details about research governance, please contact the Business Manager - Knowledge Management (Catherine Beverley) on Tel: 01228 221584, or the Research and Information Assistant (Elaine Ralph) on 01228 227112.