Code of ethics for social work research: reopening the discussion

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Code of ethics for social work research
re-opening the discussion?

• Recognition and Governance sub-group of JUC SWEC
  Research Strategy Implementation Group
• Lena Dominelli, Louise Hardwick, Margaret
  Holloway, Annie Pullen, David Stanley

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The JUC SWEC Research StrategyRecognition and
Governance

• The sub-group remit (RG2.1) is
• - to lead a review and possible revision of the
  current code of social work ethics by 2008
• This workshop aims to
• - contribute to the review of ethics in social
  work research
• - explore possible frameworks for social work
  research governance.

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The JUC SWEC Research StrategyRecognition and
Governance

• To date, we
• - have facilitated a workshop on Ethical
  Scrutiny and Governance at the ESRC RDI sponsored
  PhD training event in Glasgow
• - have developed a questionnaire to examine
  frameworks for ethical scrutiny in social work
  research
• - continue to contribute to the DH initiated and
  led Ethics Review in Social Care Research

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An uncertain history.

• Much social work/care research before 2000
  conducted without external ethical scrutiny
• Governance frameworks largely absent fragmented
  system
• Tendency towards small-scale qualitative studies
• Health (LRECS) criteria and scrutiny designed for
  different context
• Barely covered in research student training

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Whats changed?

• Increasing public scrutiny, accountability and
  regulation in contexts in which Social Work
  research takes place
• Acknowledgement that social science has paid less
  attention to ethical scrutiny than medicine and
  health
• Realisation that good intentions are not enough
  risks to service users of poorly
  designed/conducted research

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Research governance

• A mechanism for improving research quality and
  safeguarding public by
• Enhancing ethical and scientific quality
• Promoting good practice
• Reducing adverse incidents and ensuring lessons
  are learnt
• Preventing poor performance and misconduct
• (DH, 2000)
• NB Process as well as structures (Dominelli and
  Holloway, 2005)

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Current social work research guidance / governance

• ESRC Research Ethics Framework (2005)
• Code of Ethics for Social Work Research (Butler
  2002)
• Research Governance for Health and Social Care
  (Department of Health 2005)
• Operationalized though different ethics
  committees e.g. NHS NRES (formerly COREC) RECs,
  University ethics committees, CSSRs, etc.

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The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

• Has published a Research Ethics Framework (REF)
  to be used by students and researchers
• Research proposals must usually be assessed by an
  ethics committee, unless the research has been
  identified as posing minimal risk to
  participants.

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minimal risk to participants

• Would be granted unless the research involves
  vulnerable groups identified as
• 1. children young people, those with learning
  disability or cognitive impairment, or
  individuals in a dependent or unequal
  relationships
• 2. on the grounds of research involving
  sensitive topics (sexual behaviour, their illegal
  or political behaviour, their experience of
  violence, their abuse or exploitation, their
  mental health or their gender or ethnic status)
• 3. research involving groups where permission of
  a gatekeeper is normally required for initial
  access to member (for example ethnic of cultural
  groups, native peoples or indigenous communities)

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minimal risk to participants cont.

• Would be granted unless the research involves
• 4. deception or which is conducted without
  participants full and informed consent
• 5. access to records of personal or
  confidential information
• 6. research that would induce psychological
  stress, anxiety or humiliation
• 7. intrusive intervention (such as
  administration of drugs or other substance)
  (ESRC 20058)

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ESRC REF (2005) six core principles of ethical
research

• Integrity and Quality of the Research
• Informed Consent
• Voluntary Participation
• Confidentiality and Anonymity of the Data
• Avoiding Harm to Research Participants
• Possible Conflicts of Interest

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Code of Ethics for Social Work and Social Care
Research (Butler 2002)

• Product of ESRC funded seminar series on
  Theorising Social Work Research
• Foundations for a code of ethics for social work
  research should be derived from social work
  ethics itself.
• draw from the principles of biomedical ethics
  Beauchamp Childress Paradigm
• 4 principles scope

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Four principles plus scope

• Autonomy (independence self-governing)
• Beneficence (doing good causing good to be
  done)
• Non-maleficence (obligation not to inflict harm
  intentionally)
• Justice
• (righteousness, equitableness)
• - applicable regardless of philosophy, politics,
  religion, moral theory, or life stance, and the
  scope of applications encompass most of the moral
  issues that arise in health care (Gillion
  1994184)

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Research Governance Framework (DoH 2005)

• Aimed at continuous improvement of quality and
  the reduction of unacceptable variations in
  research practice through 5 key standards in 5
  domains
• Ethics
• Science
• Information
• Health, Safety and Employment
• Finance and Intellectual Property
• Same standards to all but the way the standards
  are achieved differ according to the type of
  research, context and methods
• (DoH 2004)

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Key issues

• Informed consent
• Dignity, safety, well-being of participants
• Privacy /confidentiality
• Use(s) of data
• Safety / welfare of researchers
• Publication/ dissemination of findings
• Power relationships amongst stake-holders

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Social Work professional ethics some dilemmas
for research

• Participation implies inclusion of vulnerable
  subjects rights and risks of having a voice
• Multiple accountabilities in non-hierarchical
  research
• Respect for diversity or privileging greatest
  good for greatest number
• Emancipatory agenda or disinterested enquiry
• Users as researchers who looks after whom?
• Determining risk whose perspective?
• What cultural assumptions underpin?

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Current challenges for Social Work research

• Improve ethical literacy in own field
• Refine ethical scrutiny and governance in forms
  appropriate to SW research
• Influence consideration of ethical implications
  flowing from different research paradigms
• Contribute to general research ethical debates