The Social Policy Evaluation and Research (SPEaR) Committee Terms of Reference
Introduction
High-quality social research and evaluation has a fundamental role in the development of evidence-based social policy. Moreover, greater co-ordination of the research spend by social policy agencies is considered to lead to improvements in the uptake of research and evaluation information into social policy development.
Accordingly, the Government is interested in improving the alignment of its social policy research and evaluation purchase around known policy priorities and improve the linkage between departmental research priority setting and key social policy drivers.
As a result of the Improving the Knowledge Base for Social Policy (IKB) Project, a new officials co-ordinating group has been established with a mandate to oversee the Government's social policy research and evaluation purchase. This co-ordinating group, known as the Social Policy Evaluation and Research Committee (SPEaR) is convened by the Ministry of Social Development and consists of officials from the following social policy agencies involved in research activities:
- Ministry of Social Development
- Ministry of Research, Science and Technology
- Treasury
- Ministry of Justice
- Ministry of Education
- Ministry of Health
- Department of Labour
- Ministry of Women's Affairs
- Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs
- Ministry of Youth Development
- Te Puni Kokiri
- Statistics New Zealand
- Department of Internal Affairs
- Accident Compensation Corporation
- Housing New Zealand Corporation
- Department of Child, Youth and Family Services
- Health Research Council
- Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet
- State Service Commission
- Inland Revenue
- other relevant agencies.
The advantages of establishing an officials group like SPEaR are considered to be the:
- demonstration of the Government's commitment to increased levels of high-quality policy-relevant social research
- improved co-ordination of social policy agencies' research effort, promotion of collaborative research and adoption of best practice research approaches and tools
- greater alignment of research around, and promotion of, Governmental social policy knowledge needs and priorities
- improved information dissemination and quality assurance to Government on social policy research outputs
- the creation of a focal point for social policy researchers and a vehicle for communicating with the social research sector.
Role and functions
The role of SPEaR is to oversee the Governments' social policy research purchase. In particular, the:
- identification and dissemination of key social policy knowledge needs
- development of research and evaluation agendas to meet identified social policy knowledge gaps
- assurance of quality and relevance of Government-purchased social policy research and evaluation
- integration of research and evaluation information into evidence-based policy development
- evaluation of the success of recent initiatives to enhance the knowledge base for social policy.
In undertaking this role, SPEaR will have the following specific functions:
- To encourage the uptake of research and evaluation information into social policy development.
- To co-ordinate departmental research priority setting (in conjunction with Strategic Social Policy Senior Officials Group (SSPSOG)).
- To provide a strategic framework for the social research component of the Cross Departmental Research Pool.
- To act as a vehicle for gathering agency views on sectoral research and evaluation capacity issues.
- To disseminate information relevant to the Government's social policy research and evaluation agenda.
- To sponsor initiatives aimed at improving social policy research capability, (including agency research and evaluation practice).
- To promote the utilisation of 'best practice' approaches, tools and techniques through development and/or dissemination.
- To liaise with key public sector and academic social policy research and evaluation stakeholders.
- To build an evidence base and the value of social research.
Logistics
The Ministry of Social Development will provide a full-time secretariat and chair for SPEaR. In delivering its functions it is expected that SPEaR will:
- meet regularly to consider general issues
- form sub-committees to examine specific issues
- co-opt members from other agencies to sub-committees
- consult with external stakeholders.
Key Relationships
SPEaR will report to Ministers of Social Services and Employment and Research, Science and Technology through the Chief Executive of the Ministry of Social Development.
SPEaR will also liaise regularly with SSPSOG over the identification and dissemination of the Government's social policy knowledge needs and the integration of research and evaluation information into social policy.
It is expected that SPEaR will ensure key public sector and social policy research stakeholders are informed of their activities and, wherever practicable, be given an opportunity to participate in discussions. These key stakeholders include the:
- Social Science Committee of the Royal Society of New Zealand
- Research Committee of the New Zealand Vice Chancellor's Committee
- Foundation for Research Science and Technology
- Tertiary Education Commission
- Science and Innovation Advisory Council.
