National Social Care Research Ethics Committee (SCREC)

Following a lengthy consultation in the social care sector, the Department of Health has asked SCIE to appoint a new national Social Care Research Ethics Committee (SCREC). The launch of the committee is planned for early 2009. It will operate within the framework of the National Research Ethics Service (NRES), which supports over 100 RECs reviewing health and social care research and is part of the National Patient Safety Agency.

The Research Ethics Committee provides a resource for researchers to enable and promote ethically sound research.

Background

Stakeholders in social care have been campaigning for separate arrangements for the ethical review of social care research since the publication of the first Research Governance Framework for Health & Social Care in 2001.

At the moment social care research may be reviewed for ethical issues by NHS committees convened by the NRES, by committees convened by universities or by funding councils - or not reviewed at all. There is no proportionate and transparent single system for the review of ethics in social care research proposals. This is a problem for all stakeholders, but particularly for people who use services and their carers because they play a key role in participating in social care research, and need to be confident that robust procedures for ethical review are in place.

There are clear advantages to securing NRES support, including funding and training for the Committee. However, the Governance Arrangements for Research Ethics Committees (GAfREC) have primarily been designed to apply to research within the NHS, although they are shortly to be reviewed and amended. Careful application will be required if they are to work effectively for the different circumstances in which social care research operates.

It is expected that the new national Social Care Research Ethics Committee (SCREC) will have parity with the NHS RECs currently operating across the country, although there will be some functions, such as review of clinical trials of investigational drugs and procedures, which it cannot take on.

The Social Care Research Ethics Committee Advisory Group

In order to establish a REC for social care which has the confidence of the sector, SCIE has convened an Advisory Group with wide formal representation across the social care sector, including delegates from organisations such as the Association for Directors of Adult Social Services & Social Services Research Group.

Organisations attending Advisory Group:

• Association Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS)
• Social Research Association (SRA)
• Commission for Social Care Inspectorate (CSCI)
• Help the Aged
• Wales Office
• University of Kent
• Social Services Research Group (SSRG)
• Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Nuffield Foundation
• Joint University Council for Social Work Education (JUCSWEC)

Practitioners and users of adult social services were also represented.

The advisory group, which met for the first time in May this year, is advising SCIE on:

• setting up operating procedures within the GAfREC framework
• recruiting members to join the new Social Care Research Ethics Committee
• monitoring and evaluating the initial work of the new Committee.

National Social Care REC Advisory Group Minutes

• Minutes 12 September 2008 (39kb PDF file)
• Minutes 17 July 2008 (46kb PDF file)
• Minutes 22 May 2008 (50kb PDF file)

The Work of the National Social Care Research Ethics Committee

The thresholds for referring proposals to the Committee are not fixed, and may be amended following piloting, but the REC is likely to invite research applications that would not otherwise have access to ethical review, or which cross national (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales) or sector boundaries. It is also likely to take up some specialist areas, such as social care research where participants lack mental capacity (where there is a mandatory requirement for review by a designated REC) and user-controlled research.

The Committee will not have responsibility for reviewing proposals to conduct research with children, as children’s services involving healthcare are either strictly within the remit of the other, NHS-focussed RECs under NRES, or are the responsibility of Dept for Children, Schools and Families.

The Committee is expected to be recruited, trained, and ready to take applications by spring 2009. In common with other NRES Committees, the Social Care REC will meet monthly, and will be expected to deliver an opinion to the applicant within 60 days of receiving a valid application (excluding time taken to submit additional information requested by the Committee).

How to get involved

Members have not yet been recruited to the Social Care Research Ethics Committee. SCIE will be seeking people with understanding of social care and social care research, including service commissioners, service providers and those who use services. However, as the Committee’s primary task is to safeguard all who are willing to take part in research, we also need members who represent the general public. Membership will involve attendance at monthly meetings to discuss applications, and reading a number of applications in advance of these meetings. There will be an open application process and details will be available in the national press and on this website in autumn 2008. These posts will be unpaid.

For more information please contact Deborah Rutter (deborah.rutter@scie.org.uk).