Anglicare supports research that aligns with our vision, mission and values, and informs our strategy. For more information about what research areas we support, please see our Research Strategy 2023-2025.

Anglicare provides services to some of the most vulnerable groups of people in Queensland and we have an obligation to protect them. We want to ensure the health and wellbeing of our hard-working staff so there are limitations to the amount of research we can support at any given time. We ask researchers to apply to conduct research so we can assess whether the potential benefits of the research outweigh any inconvenience or risks to our clients and staff.

Anglicare relies on high quality research to facilitate innovation, inform our advocacy work, and generate actionable insights around best practices within the context of Anglicare services. These require researchers to have access to relevant Anglicare sites.

No. If you would like to advertise your research in any Anglicare services/facilities or offices (e.g., notice boards, bulletin boards, reception, staff room, etc.), you only need to complete and submit the Research Advertisement in Anglicare application to Research and Innovation team.

If your purpose is to recruit our staff and clients as participants (e.g., emailing staff or our clients and their families, handing out information sheets or questionnaires, or collecting consent forms, or if you want to conduct interviews in an Anglicare service/facility or office), then you will need to complete and submit a full Research Application to Research and Innovation team.

No. You only need to email the Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form to Research and Innovation team for assessment. If we’re satisfied that the research is low risk, we will either forward the survey link to the relevant staff to complete (if link is provided), and/or we will give you (upon consent) the contact details of the staff for the interview. If your purpose is to recruit our staff and clients as participants (e.g., emailing staff or our clients and their families, handing out information sheets or questionnaires, or collecting consent forms, or if you want to conduct interviews in an Anglicare service/facility or office), then you will need to complete and submit a full Research Application to Research and Innovation team.

It depends on how your activity is defined by Anglicare and how you intend to use the findings. Please refer to Conducting Research at Anglicare Guideline. If any of the triggers for consideration of ethical review below apply to your activity, the guidance provided in the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research, 2007 (National Statement) should be followed. This means that your project will need to be reviewed by Anglicare Research Governance Committee (RGC).

Triggers for consideration of ethical review:

• Where the activity potentially infringes the privacy or professional reputation of participants, providers, or the organisation/s.
• Secondary use of data – using data or analysis from QA or evaluation activities for another purpose.
• Gathering information about the participant beyond that which is collected routinely. Information may include biospecimens or additional investigations/data gathering.
• Testing of non-standard (innovative) protocols or equipment.
• Comparison of cohorts (groups and sub-groups).
• Randomisation or the use of control groups or placebos.
• Targeted analysis of data involving minority or vulnerable groups whose data is to be separated out of that data collected or analysed as part of the main QA or evaluation activity.

Depending on the project, Anglicare (RGC) might require a separate review from an external Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC), although this is expected to be in very rare instances.

Where ethical review by an accredited HREC is not required, Anglicare (RGC) will provide a statement which affirms that an alternative approach to ethical review was considered to be appropriate for the activity.

Yes. Anglicare requires all research activities within Anglicare be conducted in an effective and ethical manner. All activities that meet Anglicare’s definition of research and is advised by the Research and Innovation team as needing to go through the application process will need to complete and submit a full Research Application to Research and Innovation team. If project deadline is an issue, we will try our best to expedite the review.

No. To facilitate learning and accountability, all activities defined as ‘research’ by Anglicare need to undergo review by the Anglicare Research Governance Committee. Please refer to the triggers for consideration of ethical review.

Those planning to conduct an evaluation activity will need to consider the following:

• a range of potential risks, such as risk of harm, burden or inconvenience, including potential breach of privacy and confidentiality
• obtaining consent from the evaluation participants including the use of an opt-out approach
• cultural competence of the evaluation activity
• adherence to relevant state and Commonwealth legislation
• compliance to ethical, professional or program standards
• whether an ethical review from an accredited HREC is required.

Even if the program has been approved by a service or office, and has already commenced, the evaluation component needs to be appraised separately if it meets the definition of research.

Where one or more of the triggers for consideration of ethical review apply, the guidance provided in the National Statement will be followed.

Please note that we do not impose ‘research requirements’ on activities that are considered quality assurance (QA) activities or compliance requirements (e.g., audit or onsite assessment of the quality of care and services provided to aged care consumers to measure performance against the requirements of relevant standards). Please refer to our Quality Assurance Guidelines for more information.

No. It is not the intention of Anglicare to provide approval for research which is undertaken for commercial gain.

All research applicants, whether internal or external, must declare any actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest in the Research Application form. This may include any affiliation or financial involvement with any organisation or entity with direct interest in the research subject matter.

• Please visit Research at Anglicare or contact Research and Innovation team or call 0402 969 715 to access the Research Application Form.
• Submit an electronic copy of the completed application form and supporting documents to Research and Innovation team. If additional information is required to process your application, one of the team members will contact you to discuss.
• Ensure that your application is clear, concise, and complete to enable its timely assessment.

If you wish to engage Anglicare in grants opportunity (e.g., ARC’s Discovery, Linkage or Legacy Schemes), or wish to discuss or submit an EOI for an innovation or translation idea, you do not need to complete the Research Application form. Please email Research and Innovation team with your initial, high-level overview of the project or concept, and we will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

No. Paper-based applications won’t be accepted.

The assessment and approval process will take a minimum of 8 weeks from the time you submit a complete application with all the required documentation.

Only complete research applications will be assessed. Once a decision has been made, you will be notified via email. There is no guarantee that an application will be approved once submitted.

Please refer to the Anglicare Research Governance Committee sitting calendar available on Research at Anglicare.

In most cases, no. The only exception is if Anglicare commissioned the research, or is a formal partner on the research, in which case we will try to expedite the review process if we can. However, due to a number of stages and the required staff involvement in assessing applications, we can’t guarantee that expediting the review will result to a quicker turnaround.

Yes, just submit all other required documents and advise the Research and Innovation team that the signature will follow. Approval will not be given until we’ve received required signatures.

A research approval is valid for up to 36 months from the date of issuance or up to three months after the project has been completed, whichever occurs sooner. If you think you need more time to complete your research, you’ll need to apply for amendment to your original research application, i.e., extension of the project.
Please note that Anglicare may initiate a review of an approved research project at any time for any reason, including where Anglicare believes that the safety or wellbeing of clients and/or staff may be at risk. The review may result in a recommendation to:

• continue Anglicare participation, or
• temporarily suspend Anglicare participation, or
• terminate Anglicare participation.

The researcher will be informed of Anglicare’s intention to review and of the review outcome, including any additional requirements that must be met for the project to continue.

Anglicare prefers that all attachments are submitted in one email. If you’re having trouble attaching files, check the file size or see if the file is corrupted. If the file is not too big and not corrupted but won’t attach, you can email the attachments to Research and Innovation team.

Please advise the Research and Innovation team in writing if you wish to withdraw your application.

Anyone accessing an Anglicare site where Blue Card is required needs to have one. Please contact Blue Card Services on 1800 113 611 or (07) 3211 6999 or go to their Contact Us page if you have any questions in regard to obtaining Yellow Card or an Exemption.

Anyone accessing an Anglicare site where Yellow Card is required needs to have one. Please contact Disability Worker Screening or visit their Contact Us page if you have questions in regard to obtaining a Yellow Card or an Exemption.

Anglicare supports giving incentives to research participants to maximise participation in the research. Anglicare will be guided by the relevant NHMRC guideline when assessing research that proposes to provide incentives to research participants. As a guide, NHMRC views payment of participants in research as ethically appropriate if it is equitable and proportionate to the burden of the research and:

• does not undermine a person’s capacity to provide voluntary and informed consent
• does not unduly influence a person to accept a risk or burden that is greater than they
• would otherwise accept in everyday living or to compromise their fundamental values
• does not unduly influence a person to make false representations about or conceal information that is relevant to:
  • their eligibility for the research
  • their contribution to the research, or
  • the risks related to participation.

Please advise the Research and Innovation team as soon as possible.

When you arrive at an Anglicare site, you should report to the Reception and sign in. You should receive an official visitor ID and must wear it at all times while at the site. You will also need to present your current blue card/yellow card or exemption, if required. Follow all the site rules for visitors. Don’t forget to surrender your visitor ID and sign out before you leave the premises.

You may not disclose the identity of Anglicare sites involved in research, unless the Anglicare RGC and the site manager or relevant manager explicitly agreed to the disclosure. Having said this, we acknowledge that sharing information about the research site may help translate research findings. Please contact the Research and Innovation team if you want to request disclosure.

Research applicants must ensure that their organisation has appropriate and sufficient insurance to indemnify researchers and Anglicare for any loss or damage suffered by reasons of negligence or breach of a duty of care by researchers, or research contractors/sub-contractors for an adequate period of time.

The Research and Innovation team monitors approved research projects. Researchers are required to submit six-monthly updates (Research Progress Reports), or updates as specified/agreed upon.

When your research is completed, you’ll be required to submit a report and may be requested to present your findings to Anglicare. If you want to publish your findings more broadly, please forward your publication plan and drafts to Research and Innovation team for review first.

Research findings, final report and other research outputs can be submitted to Research and Innovation team.

No. Researchers need to get ethics clearance from their university or research institution or an accredited HREC. If an applicant doesn’t have access to an ethics committee (e.g., a market research agency), they can attach a statement explaining how their research complies with the National Statement for Anglicare to consider. This includes how you will address the issues of:

• informed and voluntary consent
• privacy and confidentiality of participant’s data or information
• management, including storing and disposing of data
• risks and benefits of the research
• publication, reports and/or dissemination of results.

We understand that some university ethics committee require full review and permission from organisations like Anglicare before giving their final ethics clearance. In those cases, we will give you a conditional approval to present to the university ethics committee. You need to forward the full ethics clearance to the Research and Innovation team as soon as you receive it so you can be issued an Approval Letter. You can’t start your research on any Anglicare sites until you have obtained a full ethics approval from the university and full approval from Anglicare.

Yes. We are happy to begin the review process as long as you can provide evidence that you’ve submitted your application to the university ethics committee. You need to forward the full ethics clearance to the Research and Innovation team as soon as you receive it so you can be issued a full Approval Letter. You can’t start your research on any Anglicare sites until you have obtained a full ethics approval from the university and full approval from Anglicare.

Anglicare is guided by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ethical Considerations in Quality Assurance and Evaluation Activities for the consideration of ethical issues that may arise from an evaluation or QA activity, and in deciding the appropriate level of oversight for such activity.

Yes. If the research project is considered to be beneficial to Anglicare, its clients and staff, and there are no significant issues in the research design or topic, we try to work with researchers through the application process and will provide feedback on all documentation including research instruments.

Please email the amended application form to Research and Innovation team or contact them for advice.

Yes. Please email the amended application form to Research and Innovation team or contact them for advice.

Amendments or variations to the original research proposal or approved research may include, but are not limited to:

• minor changes to the research team, methodology or research instruments
• additional analysis or purpose for the research data
• minor changes to the level of sensitivity or obligation associated with the research
• extension of timelines
• minor changes that alter the initial information provided to participants.

Significant amendments may require the submission of a new research application.

A significant amendment is defined as change to the terms of the protocol or any other supporting documentation that is likely to affect to a significant degree:

• the safety or physical or mental integrity of participants
• the scientific value of the research
• the quality or safety of any interventions to be used
• the conduct or management of the research
• Anglicare’s service/s and/or program/s.

Examples of significant amendments include:

• appointment of a new Principal Researcher/Investigator or key collaborator
• substantial changes to the design or methodology of the study, including research instruments
• changes to the procedures undertaken by participants
• any change relating to the safety or physical or mental integrity of participants
• any change to the risk/benefit assessment for the study
• significant changes to study documentation, such as participant information sheets, consent forms, questionnaires, information sheets for relatives or carers
• any change to the insurance or indemnity arrangements for the study
• any other significant changes to the protocol or the terms of the RGC application.

Yes. This is a condition of conducting research at Anglicare.

No. We’ll let you know early in the review process if it is unlikely that your proposal will be supported. We’ll also advise you of other options for conducting your research. When Anglicare declines an application, it’s usually because the proposed study doesn’t align with our current strategy and/or policy directions, and/or because it will impact significantly on the time and resources of clients and staff. It could also be that the research is inappropriate for administration in any Anglicare sites. You’re welcome to submit a new or revised application in response to our feedback and comments.

Please contact Research and Innovation team if you require more information or further advice.