Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) in Research and the National Research Office (NRO)

Tusla has become a partner in a national network promoting public and patient involvement (PPI) in research. The network is Health Research Board (HRB) and Irish Research Council (IRC) funded and is the first of its kind in Ireland. The NRO signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the network on the 20th August 2020 as part of a grant application process.

The PPI Ignite programme office is hosted by NUI Galway

NRO and PPI in Research

In the current context, the partnership pertains to PPI in research.

The NRO endeavours to keep child and youth voices at the core of its work programme through a variety of research initiatives e.g., we have adopted a PPI Approach in Research Ethics Committee (REC) applications and recruitment of PPI contributors on Tusla Independent REC (see links below for more information about this).

• PPI Resources

• PPI Ignite Network at DCU: 2022 Seminar Series-PPI in research with children and young people: Translating Rhetoric into Reality

How Tusla defines PPI in Research

• By public and patient in this context we mean everyone: children and young people, those attending Tusla services including potential users of services. We also include parents, carers, guardians, staff members or anyone involved in the care and protection of children and young people.

• By ‘involvement’ we mean the active involvement between children and young people/people who use the services/parents/guardians/carers/staff/the general public and researchers. It does not include involvement as participation in research (or as ‘research subjects’) and does not generate data for individual research subjects.

Objectives of the Network

• To further improve the quality of PPI approaches in Irish health and social care research and promote partnerships that are seen as meaningful by both researchers and PPI contributors

• To embed PPI at an institutional level and in the national research ecosystem

• To create a nationally co-ordinated and internationally recognized network of excellence

• To create a shared national voice for PPI with an identity independent of any one institution and that will serve all

• To improve people’s health and to enhance healthcare delivery through engaged research

Context for the Tusla Network Partnership

• Legislation and policy context for PPI: Tusla’s founding legislation, the Child and Family Agency Act 2013; the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are all underpinned by the requirement to listen to the voice of children and families

• Tusla National Approaches to Practice: i.e. Signs of Safety and Meitheal have principles embedded such as inclusion, co-production of plans with children, family and their networks

• Advocacy Groups: TAG (Tusla Advisory Group) and EPIC (Empowering People in Care) which seek the voice of children and young people on the day to day operations of Tusla services

• Tusla’s Child and Youth Participation Strategy 2019-2023 sets out Tusla’s plans to support, nurture and celebrate participatory practice within Tusla and it’s funded agencies and outlines a range of activities and plans for how this will be achieved. The strategy can be accessed here.