GETTING STARTED

VACCHO encourages, supports and promotes ethical health research which will benefit Aboriginal people and research that is planned and carried out in a culturally appropriate way.

It is vital that all research includes consultation with relevant Aboriginal communities before, during and after the project.  However, we suggest you consider the following questions regarding your research proposal prior to a consultation:

• Who is the research for?
• Why are you doing it?
• What information will you be collecting?
• Who will own this information?
• How will the Aboriginal community benefit?
• Will the project build capacity in the Aboriginal community?

To ensure that Aboriginal values are at the heart of ethical assessment, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), following community consultation, have developed guidelines for ethical conduct in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander research.  The six core values outlined in the NHMRC Values and Ethics Guidelines (NHMRC, 2003) are:

• Reciprocity
• Respect
• Equality
• Responsibility
• Survival and Protection
• Spirit and Integrity

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/e52syn.htm