National Centre of Excellence research strategy

The National Centre of Excellence for Post-Crash Support research strategy is comprised of four core strands:

1. Choice. We can provide opportunities for our beneficiaries to participate in research which allows for their lived experiences to inform progress in the field of post-crash support.
2. Support. We can ensure that research participants are supported to engage in research, prior to, during and after, participation. This is achieved through seeking to understand their needs and their motivation to participate.
3. Quality. We reduce the potential for re-traumatisation by making certain that research is designed and delivered utilising a trauma informed approach and underpinned by 6 key principles (safety, choice and control, supporting coping, facilitating connections, responding to identity and context and building strengths). This forms part of our quality assurance process for supporting research partnership requests.
4. Impact. We can provide assurances that the research has benefits which go beyond generating new knowledge and extend directly to impact the lives of those they are researching.

Our research activities include:

• Establishing partnerships with researchers and research institutions whose work aims to bring about sustainable impact and change in the area of post-crash support.
• Applying our quality assurance process to ensure that this research is trauma informed and conducted in line with best practice.
• Drawing on our networks to provide opportunities for victims, their families and other practitioners working in the field of post-crash support, to participate in research which seeks to understand their lived experiences.
• Creating pathways for research participants, prior to, during and after, their engagement in research to access support to maximise the therapeutic benefits of participation and mitigate any adverse effects.
• Assisting with the analysis of data based on our experiences of providing support to victims and their families post-crash.
• Undertaking our own research projects to improve the internal practice and delivery of care of our NRVS or to support us in establishing evidence based guidance and training for partner organisations and practitioners, including emergency services, health and social care and legal professionals (see proposal for Police Scotland as an example).

To consider establishing a partnership and supporting research in this area, we require:

• A copy of the project’s application for ethical approval and evidence of its approval from the relevant ethics committee.
• Completion of the National Centre of Excellence for Post-Crash Support application for research partnership.
• Evidence that the research team has completed training in trauma-informed practice, including trauma-informed research practice.

Once received, our clinical consultant Dr Nicola Lester will review the documents and provide a decision within 10 working days of submission. In the event that approval is not awarded, additional feedback will be provided to enable either a re-submission or to explain how the proposed research does not meet our research objectives.

In recognition of the experience of researchers with a clinical background, only the following information is required:

• A copy of the project’s application for ethical approval and evidence of its approval from the relevant ethics committee.

However, the proposed research will still be reviewed to ensure that it meets our four key strands and feedback provided to the research team. They will also be provided with links to the trauma-informed practice training and encouraged to complete this prior to undertaking the research.

Please note that we ask teams to have completed up to, and including, the gold level trauma-informed practice training available via Thrive London and to have watched the webinar on trauma-informed research practice.

• Please click here to access trauma-informed practice training via Thrive London
• Please click here to watch the webinar on trauma-informed research practice