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Events

Medical School presentation

Professor Delbert Elliott, director of the Center for the Study of Prevention and Violence and...

US Study Tour

A group of British and American policy makers is about to embark on a Social Research Unit study...

Social and emotional learning seminar

A Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Illinois, Chicago, who for a...

For head teachers and policy makers in Birmingham

Speakers included Roger Weissberg, president of the Academic, Social and Emotional Learning...

Center for Social Policy summer seminar

The Center For Social Policy completed its summer seminar series. Topics covered the prediction...

For local policy makers

A seminar was held for head teachers, education welfare staff, and local policy makers to...

Annual Lecture 2009

This year's annual lecture took place in London, at the Commonwealth Club. Guest speakers...

Annual Lecture 2009

The Social Research Unit will host it's annual lecture at the Royal Commonwealth Club on July...

Ethical considerations in conducting family violence research

Publication type: 
Article

Berry, V. (2009) 'Ethical considerations in conducting family violence research', Research Ethics Review, 5 (3) 91-98

Abstract
There is a lack of procedure in the UK guiding social researchers faced with ethical questions. In particular, investigators concerned with family violence and its effects on children face some of the most complex ethical dilemmas in social research and there is a need for greater transparency of ethical procedures. This paper summarizes some key ethical principles guiding social research focused on children, and the decisions that researchers face when conducting studies in the area of child maltreatment or domestic violence. A case example of a study conducted in Dublin, Ireland is used to illustrate difficulties surrounding decisions of informed consent, confidentiality and disclosure, distress and danger, and questioning children directly about their experiences of family violence. The advice of the ethics committee and the solutions agreed by the research team are shared. While the study was subject to a review by an independent ethics committee, in the absence of nationally-recognized or agreed guidelines, good ethical practice is largely dependent upon the moral judgments of the research team. It is hoped that by providing one such case example, others might be encouraged to report on their own ethical protocols and procedures.

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Berry 2009 conducting research.pdf158.13 KB
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