When is ethical approval needed?

An ethical approach is always needed, in which we only do evaluation:

• if the evaluation’s purpose is to assess or improve policy or service provision in a way that will benefit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• for reasons agreed to by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• if it does not hurt or shame Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• if all participants are afforded appropriate protections and respect
• if there is a pathway to address concerns.^[1]Orr M, Kenny P, Gorey IN, Dixon T, Mir A, Cox E, Wilson J. (2009). Aboriginal Knowledge and Intellectual Property Protocol: Community Guide. 2nd Edition. Ninti One Limited, Alice Springs.^[2]National Health and Medical Research Council (2014). Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities. Canberra: NHMRC, p. 2

We will seek formal ethical approval from a Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) for an evaluation where:

• our evaluation will potentially infringe the privacy or professional reputation of participants, providers or organisations, or
• we will use existing data or analysis that had been collected or carried out for another purpose, or
• we will gather information about participants beyond that which is collected routinely, or
• we will compare cohorts of people, or
• we will use randomisation or control groups, or
• we will analyse data involving a minority or vulnerable groups, and that group’s data is to be separated out and analysed separately
• our findings will be published.^[3]National Health and Medical Research Council (2014). Ethical considerations in quality assurance and evaluation activities. Canberra: NHMRC. pp 3-4

Please be aware that seeking ethics approval has an impact on timelines. More of the work designing a project needs to be done up front than would otherwise be the case, and HRECs, which operate on a voluntary capacity, are usually quite stretched. Seeking ethics approval probably adds four months to most projects.