Ethics and Governance
Research Ethics and Governance Offices
Kids Research, as the research body for the Sydney Children's Hospitals Network, commits to a high standard of research integrity and responsible conduct. Our Research Ethics and Governance Offices are responsible for the ethical and scientific review (ethics), site review (governance) and regular monitoring (ethics and governance) of research projects.
Research approvals
Research projects to be conducted at the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network (SCHN) must satisfy two requirements before they commence:
- Ethics approval by a Human Research Ethics Committee
- Site authorisation through the SCHN Research Governance Office
To apply for these approvals, applications must be submitted through the Research Ethics and Governance Information System (REGIS) and as per the submission requirements from the SCHN Research Ethics and Research Governance Offices.
Ethics approval is required before site authorisation can be granted. However, parallel submission is encouraged for all research ethics and governance applications.
Differences between ethics and governance reviews
The difference can be seen in the below research principles from the Research Ethics and Research Governance perspectives.
| Research principles | Ethics (anywhere) | Governance (site based) |
|---|---|---|
| Beneficence | Does the benefit of the study outweigh the risk? | Is the organisation protected against any risks? Are the investigators insured? Is it our risk to protect? Should there be a contract detailing who bears the risk? |
| Respect | How will the privacy of participants be respected? | Has the data custodian provided support for access to medical records for research purposes? |
| Research Merit and Integrity | Will the study be able to answer the questions posed? | Is there money available to complete the study at this site? Are there resources available to complete the study at this site? Does the study have Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval? |
| Justice | Is the process of recruiting fair? | Is the recruitment process in line with institutional policies? Has the Department Head of the patient group being recruited provided their support of the project? Have the Department Heads of any supporting departments provided their support of the project? |
REGIS
The Research Ethics and Governance Information System (REGIS) is an online portal that manages ethics and site governance approvals of human research projects in NSW, ACT, TAS Public Health Organisations, Allied Health Organisations and local health districts.
REGIS offers users a variety of Quick Reference Guides (QRGs) and instructional videos to support in making applications. If users are having difficulty in using REGIS, they are encouraged to see the REGIS helpdesk and FAQs for more information.
Due to cybersecurity and privacy requirements, SCHN only accepts institution email addresses (e.g. @health.nsw.gov.au, @university.edu.au, @institute.org.au) rather than personal email addresses (e.g. @gmail.com) for the registration of REGIS accounts.
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Are there any fees associated with the review of research applications?
Yes. Fees are applicable only for review of clinical trial ethics and governance applications.
What is parallel submission?
Parallel submission is encouraged to support researchers in their application process. It involves submitting ethics and governance applications simultaneously rather than chronologically (i.e. submitting a Governance application whilst waiting to receive ethics approval).
Please note although review can take place simultaneously Research Governance can only finalise review after Ethics approval is received. See our Research Governance application process for more information.
Contact information
Research Ethics office
Email: SCHN-Ethics@health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 7825 1253
Mailing Addresses:
- The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Kids Research Building, Corner Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead NSW 2145.
- Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145.
Research Governance office
Email: SCHN-Governance@health.nsw.gov.au
Phone: (02) 7825 3011
Mailing Addresses:
- The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Kids Research Building, Corner Hawkesbury Road and Hainsworth Street, Westmead NSW 2145.
- Locked Bag 4001, Westmead NSW 2145.