Barnardo's Research Ethics Committee

What is the Barnardo’s Research Ethics Committee (BREC)? 

Barnardo’s Research Ethics Committee (BREC) is a formal process for the ethical scrutiny and approval of research (including evaluation) facilitated within or through Barnardo’s services.  

BREC helps to ensure that any research involving the children, young people and families we support is ethical and that the potential value/benefit of the research outweighs risk of harm. BREC’s priority is to promote high quality, ethical research that ultimately helps us achieve our purpose of working with children and young people to be safe, happy, health and hopeful. This helps children, young people and families to safely take part in research and ensures that their rights, wellbeing, safety and dignity are protected.

Why is BREC important? 

Research in Barnardo’s is often focused on highly sensitive issues, e.g. child sexual abuse, or experiences of care, so careful decision making is especially important. BREC enables Barnardo’s to effectively manage ethical scrutiny and research governance. 

BREC aims to ensure that service management fully understands what participating in a particular piece of research will involve, which helps managers to ensure that Barnardo’s interests and concerns are clearly articulated in their relationship with the researcher(s). 

How does BREC operate? 

BREC is made up of subject matter experts, researchers and peers from across Barnardo’s. BREC is managed by Barnardo’s Research and Evaluation (R&E) team.  

To ensure thorough review, each research proposal submitted to BREC is independently reviewed by a researcher from the R&E team, and two reviewers from the BREC pool of ‘reviewers in the field’ – committee members based in other teams across Barnardo’s, many of whom are based in services. All reviewers have undertaken bespoke training in research ethics, facilitated by the R&E team. 

What is meant by research and evaluation? 

Research is defined as a systematic process of gathering and analysing information/data to discover new knowledge and extend existing knowledge. 

Evaluation is defined as a process to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of a project or service. It involves a systematic process of gathering and analysing information/data to determine if the project has achieved the effect and impact that it set out to achieve, after the implementation of the activities/interventions. 

What is BREC’s remit and scope?  

Inside BREC’s remit and scope 

1. Research and evaluation with Barnardo’s service users 

• Activities seeking to gather and analyse information/data from service users or former service users through a systematic process to discover new knowledge and extend existing knowledge.  For example, an independent evaluation of the impact of a service or intervention. 

• Activities seeking to gather and analyse information/data from children and young people (CYP) and families accessed via Barnardo’s services through a systematic process to discover new knowledge and extend existing knowledge.   

• Activities seeking to access information/data relating to service users held by Barnardo’s. For example, a research study that seeks to analyse information from service users’ case files. 

• Research (as defined above), whether undertaken by Barnardo’s staff, commissioned by Barnardo’s, or by an external agency, such as a research institute or university.  

• Evaluation (as defined above), whether undertaken by Barnardo’s staff, commissioned by Barnardo’s, or by an external agency, such as a university or specialist evaluators. This is distinct from ‘business-as-usual reporting’ or ‘feedback’, as described in the ‘Outside of BREC’s remit and scope’ section further down.

2. Student research 

Student research must be reviewed by BREC where access is sought to service users or former service users, or where Barnardo’s services are requested to facilitate access to service users. It is BREC’s advice that undergraduate or Masters’ students should not normally be given access to service users for research purposes. Students may not be experienced researchers and the wider benefit often does not justify risk of intrusion or other harm to CYP and families. Exceptions must show that: the student can demonstrate research competence; thorough arrangements have been made to avoid service users feeling compelled to participate (where the student also provides a service in that setting); and, that measures have been taken to avoid any possible intrusion or distress. Where a BREC review is not required, responsibility lies with local management as to whether to assist the student with their work. 

3. Research that has already been reviewed by other research ethics committees  

Research applying to BREC may also require approval by other research committees. For example, university, NHS, police, or local authority research ethics committees. BREC cannot rely on decisions made by other organisations. Barnardo’s, as a service provider, stands in a relationship of trust to children and young people accessing our services, and needs to be accountable for its own decisions – a university research ethics committee, for example, looks at general principles, not at the specific benefits and risks to Barnardo’s service users.  

4. Commissioner research requests  

At times, a commissioner may require that Barnardo’s agrees to a research or evaluation project linked to the commissioning or funding of a service. In such cases, relevant managers must inform commissioners that any research/evaluation that involves Barnardo’s services facilitating access to service users (or former service users) must be approved by BREC.  

Outside of BREC’s remit and scope 

1. Barnardo’s staff 

Research where the participants are Barnardo’s staff. 

2. Business-as-usual reporting 

Projects where information/data will be used only for ‘business-as-usual’ reporting to commissioners. This is reporting that could be for auditing, quality assurance and/or monitoring purposes, and is often necessary and integral to the running of the service. It could answer routine questions like "Are additional staff needed?" or "how many service users are we reaching?” For example, service delivery monitoring report (number of CYP reached or service user satisfaction) linked to performance management or improving the service’s quality.  

3. Feedback, views and insights 

Projects that are gathering feedback, views and/or insights to inform and influence a decision/s in relation to a specific issue, circumstance, theme, project or service, without gathering and analysing information/data through a systematic process. There is a separate consent process for this outside of BREC’s remit and scope. For example, Barnardo’s Media or Marketing team gathering quotes, or testing how well a mobile application works. 

4. Foster carers  

Research where the participants are Barnardo’s foster carers. Foster carers are not service users for our purposes, and therefore falls outside of BREC’s remit and scope. 

5. Voice & Influence  

Voice & Influence (V&I) activities like consultations, co-design and co-production, do not need BREC approval, unless they meet the criteria of ‘research’ or ‘evaluation’ as set out above. Some research or evaluation projects involve the co-design or co-production of research materials, such as consent forms or interview questions, with children and young people. The co-design or co-production of research materials does not need to be reviewed by BREC. An application should be submitted to BREC at the point at which the activities turn into/leads on to research or evaluation. V&I quality standards need to be followed for V&I activities. Find more information about V&I.

6. Inspections 

Information/data gathering and analysis that form part of inspections by regulators, for example the Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) and/or the Care Quality Commission (CQC).    

Please don’t hesitate to contact the team if you are unsure whether you need to apply or not.

If you need to apply to BREC, email a BREC Notification form to brec@barnardos.org.uk and the team will be in touch soon.

If you would like to be a BREC reviewer contact the team. We will provide training and support to help you, as well as regular drop-ins and peer support from other reviewers.