The Council has adopted procedures around research into adults and children’s social care in accordance with the Department of Health’s Research Governance Framework (RGF) for Health and Social Care.
Carrying out research into adult social care and children's services
The definition of research under the procedures is broad, encompassing audits, surveys and consultations as well as activities which would traditionally be labelled 'research'. It doesn’t cover information which is collected as a matter of routine e.g. individual reviews of service users or the collection of management and performance information.
Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council have a joint approach to Research Governance and a joint Research Governance Framework Application pack which contains information related to carrying out research. This can be accessed here on the Cambridgeshire County Council website.
The pack includes a fact sheet that covers what needs to be considered before you start your research. There is also a flowchart summarising the application process. The length of time an application will take to process will depend on the complexity of the proposal and the level of risk to participants. It is important to consider the Research Ethics Guidebook when conducting social science research. The guidebook gives evidence of good ethical practice on a wide range of aspects involved in conducting research.
If you have any questions about the process, email research.group@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.
