Making a submission

The WA Health Research Governance Framework sets the standards for the scientific, ethical and site governance review, approval, conduct and monitoring of human research within WA public health organisations.

The framework’s policies and procedures apply to all individuals proposing, managing, reviewing, or overseeing human research involving patients, their tissue or data, accessed through WA Health.

A research project can commence at a Child and Adolescent Health Service (CAHS) site only once it has received both:

  • ethical and scientific approval (HREC approval)
  • site governance approval (site authorisation)

The ethical and site governance reviews are independent of one another, but can be conducted simultaneously.

CAHS reserves the right not to authorise a research project at its sites, even if the project has been given HREC approval and/or site approval at other institutions.

Research Governance Service (RGS)

All research projects conducted at a CAHS site require approval via the WA Department of Health Research Governance Service (RGS) tool. The RGS is an online application submission system. All new HREC applications and all governance applications must be submitted using RGS.

To sign-up for RGS and create a new project workspace, visit the RGS website.

Refer to the RGS help Wiki for information on RGS and guidelines for researchers.

Contact the RGS Support team for help with RGS technical difficulties.

Protocol

All research conducted in WA Health must have a protocol.

The protocol is a document that outlines how the research project will be conducted. It describes the:

  • background
  • aims / objectives and hypotheses
  • research design/methodology
  • statistical/data analysis plan
  • research data management
  • outcomes dissemination plan.

A well-developed protocol ensures the safety of participants and integrity of data collected. It also increases the likelihood that the project will be seen to a successful conclusion, generating publishable and/or translatable findings.

The following templates may assist those who do not have a preferred template:

Please note that when using these templates, include only sections that are relevant to your project and delete all instructions/notes prior to submission.

The protocol should be attached as a supporting document in your RGS project workspace.

Participant information sheet and consent form

CAHS has prepared the following templates to assist those who do not already have a preferred template. These templates are based on the InFORMed PICF project.

Last Updated: 31/07/2025