KAHPF Research Subcommittee
Research Requirements and Approvals
In order to conduct health and wellbeing research in the Kimberley projects are required to meet a number of conditions and gain approval at both a regional and state level.
Regional approvals are administered by the Kimberley Health Aboriginal Research Alliance (KARAH) via the Kimberley Aboriginal Health Planning Forum (KAHPF) Research Sub-Committee. The primary objective of the Sub-committee is to support high standards of research in the Kimberley by reviewing project applications for cultural security, benefit, and burden.
State-based approvals and compliance are administered via Western Australia’s Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs). The Western Australian Aboriginal Health Ethics Committee (WAAHEC) is based at the Aboriginal Health Council of Western Australia (AHCWA). The Western Australian Country Health Service (WACHS) HREC, the Western Australian Central Human Research Ethics Committee (WACHREC), is based at the Western Australian Department for Health.
Planned research projects must be assessed by the KAHPF Research Sub-committee before being submitted to WAAHEC/WACHREC. The Sub-committee advises WAAHEC/WACHREC about whether proposed research is supported at the regional level. The decision to grant or deny ethics approval rests with the WAAHEC/WACHREC.