We often hear from health justice partnership practitioners looking for guidance on maintaining the highest standards of ethics in their work. We’ve put together a list of resources that we recommend for any practitioner working on measurement and evaluation. These guides offer a curated suite of resources covering medical research ethics, cultural safety and trauma-informed practice.
An important early step when planning your evaluation activities is to discuss whether you will need approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee. These committees, known as HRECs, are part of Australia’s research governance system. They review proposals for research involving human participants to ensure that they meet ethical standards and guidelines.
If you do need HREC approval, the relevant committee will provide detailed guidance on what they require. You will need to plan for the time it will take to prepare the application materials, and there may also be a cost associated with the ethics application.
Ethics governance
Even if you don’t plan to apply for Human Research Ethics Committee review, it’s important to reflect on the ethical issues associated with conducting research and evaluation, and to plan for a safe experience for your participants. Below are some resources that may be useful for this process.
NHRMC
The National Health and Medical Research Council is the Australian Government’s primary health and medical research funding agency. It is responsible for developing the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, along with the Australian Research Council and
Universities Australia.
The National Statement aims promote ethical and high-quality research that involves people, where participants are treated with respect, provide their time and information with informed consent, are protected from harm, and the research they contribute to is accurate, transparent, accountable and of benefit to the community.
The latest version of the National Statement came into effect on 1 January 2024 (so even if you have experience with research and ethics applications in the past, you may not be familiar with the latest updates).
Other NHMRC resources include Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities (which may be helpful for determining if you need ethical review) and information on participant consent forms.
AIATSIS
The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies is an Indigenous-led, national institute that “celebrates, educates and inspires people from all walks of life to connect with the knowledge, heritage and cultures of Australia’s First Peoples”.
The AIATSIS Code of Ethics for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research sets national standards for the ethical and responsible conduct of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research, which is defined as research that impacts on or is of particular significance to Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples. The AIATSIS Code respects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander values and worldviews, acknowledging the wisdom and diversity of Indigenous knowledge systems. AIATSIS also provides a guide to applying the code.
AES
The Australian Evaluation Society is a member-based organisation, which exists to improve the theory, practice and use of evaluation in Australia. The AES has Guidelines for the ethical conduct of evaluations and it also has a First Nations Cultural Safety Framework, which outlines principles
of culturally safe evaluation, provides practical guidance on the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders in the evaluation process, and provides practical guidance on what contributes to culturally safe evaluation in all phases of the evaluation process. The AES regularly runs training workshops on how to use the Framework, and many other topics related to evaluation.
You can also use the AES website to publicise your tender for evaluation services if you are looking for an external consultant.
Trauma-informed evaluation
AIFS
The Australian Institute of Family Studies conducts research into the wellbeing of Australian families, to inform government policy and promote evidence-based practice in the family services sector. AIFS has created a resource on the principles of trauma-informed research and program evaluation and a complementary practice guide on how to do trauma-informed research and evaluation.
The AIFS website also has many other useful practice resources on evaluation.
Jo Farmer
Jo Farmer Consulting specialises in lived experience-led and trauma-informed evaluation in the health and social services sectors. Their website provides some useful resources on lived experience evaluation. Jo offers training on trauma-informed evaluation through the Australian Evaluation Society.
This document is part of a range of self-paced learning modules and practical resources to help you plan your monitoring and evaluation, funded by the Victorian State Government Empowerment Fund and developed in close collaboration with The Data Conversation. Check out the online video guides here.
