Introductory statement and summary of actions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to delivering evidence-based policies and services. We use research to understand the context in which we are working, the challenges we are facing, and how these change. We also use research to understand the likely impacts of our policies and to evaluate their effectiveness. We are committed to continually strengthening the way science, data, analysis, and evidence are used to shape policy and operational decisions and to drive improvements across the department’s policy priorities.

Assuring and enabling research integrity in DWP is an ongoing process across DWP’s analytical and science community. Such efforts are supported by an extensive system of guidance and processes that provide a strong foundation for demonstrating DWP’s compliance with the Concordat’s principles. For example, the DWP’s Analytical Function adheres to the various published government professional codes of conduct and follows stringent internal governance processes.

We aim to be transparent about our evidence. DWP has published its Areas of Research Interest (ARI) (2023), and its Evaluation Strategy (2023). We plan to update these documents during 2025. Since the launch of our ARI, we have held regular workshops to discuss research with research communities at a number of universities across the UK.

Governance

DWP’s Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser Catherine Hutchinson and the DWP Heads of the Analytical Professions are accountable for the oversight of research integrity in DWP. The profession heads are:

• Elaine Squires (Social Research)
• Steve Ellerd-Elliott (Statistics)
• Tom Younger and Vanna Aldin (Economics)
• Aiden Cross (Operational Research)
• Tim Knight (Modelling)
• Iain Wright (Data Analysts)

Processes to support culture of research integrity

DWP analysts are bound by the Civil Service Code and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

DWP has established thorough governance processes for designing and delivering research and analysis. Our governance mechanisms ensure that research undertaken in the department is subject to approval and oversight prior to commencing. For example, research proposals must use standardised templates to set out a risk assessment with mitigations, explain how ethical considerations will be addressed, and define the research purpose. These plans are peer reviewed by analysts before being signed off by senior officials.

All analysis supporting fiscal events and business cases is reviewed through scrutiny committees chaired by senior analysts. Scrutiny covers not just the outputs of the analysis but a range of key factors including assumptions, data sources and methods.

DWP analysts are further supported by a central analytical support team across all stages of the design, scrutiny and commissioning of their research and analysis. Additional peer support and guidance are available, including an Ethics Advice Panel.

Analysts also follow external quality assurance guidance and processes relevant to their profession and work to ensure quality analysis and reporting, including the principals set out in the Aqua Book: guidance on producing quality analysis for government.

DWP research and analysis is prioritised and coordinated with reference to departmental priority objectives.

DWP’s social research reports are published on GOV.UK and adhere to DWP’s Accessibility document policy.

Training

DWP offers a continuous training programme (both in-house and externally provided) to its analysts, supporting research integrity through the ongoing development of analytical expertise. This extensive and accessible analytical training offer reflects the high value DWP places on its analysts and its responsiveness to their profession-specific development and their individual learning needs and aspirations.

DWP analysts are expected to undertake between 60 and 100 hours a year of continuing profession development (pro-rata for part time staff), and work towards developing the skills set out in their profession’s technical framework. The Heads of Professions each have an annual budget to spend on profession-specific training.

Cross-profession training is also available; for example, DWP analysts deliver Evaluation Academy training. This programme was developed by the Evaluation Task Force to upskill analysts in key evaluation methodologies.

External engagement

DWP engages widely and proactively to bring in external expertise and perspectives to support its research and analysis. We are similarly committed to supporting external research and analysis through our external engagement activities.

DWP analysts have recently engaged with the UK Research Integrity Office to further enhance their understanding of research good practice, research culture and integrity. DWP also analysts sit on the Government Office for Science (GOS) Concordat Working Group to share and reflect on good practice. The DWP engages regularly with the Economic and Social Research Council to ensure that they are fully aware of the department’s priorities and that we make best use of the work funded by them.

The DWP is committed to supporting the work of academics. Through its engagement with the UKRI Policy Fellowship Programme, the DWP has partly or wholly funded several PhD studentships.

DWP also regularly employs analytical, doctoral students on placement to provide an external perspective on our research and analysis. Further, we have recruited several academic secondees to support the work of our In-House Research Unit.

The DWP central analytical team actively engages with contractors who deliver our externally commissioned research, providing opportunity for shared feedback to ensure continuous improvement.

Our Methods Advisory Group consists of 8 leading academics who support the Chief Scientific Adviser and DWP with specific policy or methodological challenges.

Open Science and research protocols

DWP does not routinely publish research protocols or analysis plans but has done so by exception, for example:

• Workplace Pension Reforms

• Universal Credit Evaluation Framework

• Health Transformation Programme Evaluation Strategy

Details of all current and forthcoming commissioned research projects over £12,000 are published on Contract Finder. This includes DWP’s call-off contracts for research; the research projects taken forward via these call-off contracts are not subsequently published on Contract Finder. 

The public DWP Evaluation Strategy will be updated in 2025 and will include the key objective for DWP’s planned, live and completed evaluations to be recorded on the Evaluation Registry.

Publication of research and Knowledge Management

DWP is committed to publishing research reports in line with the Government Social Research (GSR) Publication Protocol which recommends products from government social research and analysis be made publicly available. The DWP Head of Profession for Social Research reports regularly to the GSR Board on compliance with publication. Where appropriate, DWP analysts upload research data onto the UK Data Service for other external analysts to utilise.

Internally, evidence is disseminated via our Knowledge Bank which includes both published reports and internal analysis, and a search tool which operates simultaneously across our internal holdings and wider published literature.

Research misconduct

DWP social researchers have access to internal processes and support if they need to raise and handle concerns about research misconduct. In addition, DWP staff can access the government-wide ‘How to raise a concern’ whistleblowing policy. This policy both encourages staff to raise concerns about wrongdoing, assures their protection, and sets out a clear process to follow.

For externally commissioned research, contractors are held accountable for any misconduct through the terms and conditions of their contract.