Creating collaborative impact by strengthening the capacity for the translation of research into policy and action in the field of multi-sectorial action for improved health and well-being
There is growing recognition across the global public policy, public health and research communities, that in order to respond to the complex health, social, economic, political, and environmental challenges facing society, we require systems that support and foster strong collaborative, multi-sectoral and joined up responses.
The Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation (CHiAPRT) within Health Translation SA, located at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), has a key focus on enhancing collaboration between policymakers, researchers and academics at the local, national and international level to strengthen the capacity for research translation in the fields of multi-sectoral action such as: Health in All Policies, the determinants of health, the creation of wellbeing economies and health equity.
CHiAPRT vision
Collaborative, multi-sectoral policy approaches are recognised by the research community and the public sector as an essential approach to enabling delivery of healthy public policy and equitable health and wellbeing outcomes.
Aim
The CHiAPRT aims to strengthen the capacity for a better, and more bidirectional approach to policy making by addressing the barriers associated with research-to-policy translation. Ultimately, the Centre translates these lessons to the wider research and government sectors at a national and global level.
Increasing collaboration between the decision makers and academics is essential as research evidence helps in identifying the problem statement, provides reliable solutions through similar examples, supports policy implementation and helps in impact and outcome evaluation of a policy. Research translation can also determine the cost-effectiveness of a policy, thereby improving efficiency and optimising expenditures when the policy is in practice.
Objectives
- Build a coalition to support the CHiAPRT from within the academic, public and non-government sectors.
- Deliver projects to enhance knowledge, understanding and outcomes across the research, policy ad practitioner communities.
- Establish a research agenda that adds to the knowledge base of “How to build research policy translation capability” with a focus on Social Determinants of Health, public policy and implementation science.
- Develop a curriculum that supports the health research community to work with policy makers in the fields of Social Determinants of Health and HiAP and links to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
- Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with key academic, government and non-government sector actors to identify opportunities for collaborative action on SDH and Equity and the potential for joint funding.
- Work to build support for healthy public policy processes and mechanisms with international, national, State and local government.
- Support WHO and Member States to adopt HiAP or other multi-sectoral collaborative approaches in line the revised Framework for Sustainable Multi sectorial Collaboration
- Increase key academic communities’ familiarity and understanding of the policy making process and the motivations of policy makers.
Staff team
- Associate Professor Carmel Williams
Director - Clare Murphy
Research Office - Somayya Hanifie
Project Officer
Governance
Advisory committee and affiliated partners
The purpose of the Advisory Committee is to broaden engagement and help ensure that the work of the Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation (CHiAPRT) is informed by and remains relevant to key actors. The advisory committee meets four times a year.
The core functions of the Advisory Committee are:
- To act as the main consultation body for the CHiAPRT;
- To work to ensure effective coordination between key actors; and
- To provide oversight for the implementation of the work plan.
Project partners
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Health Translation SA
Health Translation SA aims to enable research findings to be translated into action, as quickly as possible and in a practical way, to ensure that health research can positively impact on the health of individuals and the community. -
The Australian Alliance for Social Enterprise (TAASE), University of South Australia
The Alliance for Social Enterprise engages with people and communities, and partners with the organisations which serve them, in order to produce research which enables evidence-led change. -
Wellbeing SA
Wellbing SA will drive the rebalancing of the health and wellbeing system from treating people when they become unwell to one that also promotes physical, mental, and social wellbeing, prevents ill health, and supports people to maintain wellbeing and lead healthier lives. -
The Menzies Centre for Health Governance, Australian National University
The Menzies Centre for Health Governance focuses on complex systems, regulatory governance, and health equity. -
The Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity, Flinders University
The Southgate Institute for Health, Society & Equity leads high quality scholarship on the social and economic determinants of health and health equity. -
Adelaide Health Technology Assessment (AHTA), University of Adelaide
AHTA conducts evidence-based assessments and evaluations of health interventions to inform policy and practice -
Public Health Services, Department of Health, Government of Tasmania
Public Health Services, Department of Health, works in partnership with other sectors to implement Healthy Tasmania, a preventive health plan for the state. -
South Australian Council of Social Service (SACOSS)
SACOSS is a peak NGO body and has an active role in the delivery of HiAP in SA. SACOSS has broad remit within the community sector they represent and a strong focus on Social Determinants of Health and vulnerability.
The CHiAPRT draws on implementation science theory and practice to build system wide capacity for research to policy translation to address the determinants of health and well-being and equity. This will be done by drawing on the four key components of Knowledge Sharing, Partnership Building, Knowledge Creation & Synthesis and Capability Development as outlined in the Mind Map below.
Survey for researchers and policy actors
To improve our current understanding of what works in collaboration, the Centre conducted a survey designed to understand the challenges and opportunities when working with researchers and policy actors.
The survey results have also been presented in the infographic below. The infographic succinctly summarises the outcomes of the survey for busy researchers and policy makers to easily access.
Capacity building
Capacity building and development is one of the four strategies utilised by CHiAPRT. The centre offers various trainings and skill building events for researchers and policy makers to build and expand on skills and improve the alignment between research and policy.
The masterclass is an interactive short course for researchers, academics and policy actors and practitioners focusing on developing skills and expertise in collaboration for research- to- policy translation. The masterclass uses a learning by doing approach in the form of lectures, small group work, self-reflection, group discussion, and feedback from participants.
“The Masterclass provided some really practical insights that had an immediate impact on our work. We’ve reshaped our research agenda in a way that should deliver much better outcomes.” – Roger Meany
“As a researcher in social policy, the policy-research translation masterclass was a great opportunity to share perspectives with colleagues in policy development roles. It was thought-provoking to hear more about the political, practical and resource considerations that affect policy development. This will help me ensure my research is as relevant and useful as possible to policymakers and maximise its real-world impact.” – Veronica Coram
Read the masterclass evaluation report
View our current events & training
In conversation round table
The In Conversation: Boundary, Spanners, Thinkers and Policy Actors provides a platform for researchers, policy actors and implementation experts. They will elevate discussion on emerging issues and ideas, with a specific focus on the interface between research and evidence and policy options and processes.
The In conversation Roundtables will be convened by the CHiAPRT in partnership with Health Promotion International. Content of the Roundtable discussions will be produced into a podcast that will be shared across social media platforms, and the key messages of each Roundtable will be summarised into a policy brief that will be published in Health Promotion International.
- Episode 1: The well-being economy
- Episode 2: The commercial determinants of health **COMING SOON**
World Health Organisation Collaborative Centre
The Centre for Health in All Policies Research Translation links with the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for HiAP Implementation (based in DHW and operationalised through Wellbeing SA) and the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Social, Political and Commercial Determinants of Health (based in Southgate Flinders University), leveraging existing relationships and capacity and providing opportunities for future collaborations between all three Centre’s. It uses international understanding and policy developments to apply to national contexts and show how national experiences, including the Australian HiAP experience can benefit other countries and policy processes.
Ageing well strategic research project
The office of Ageing Well has engaged with CHiAPRT to facilitate the development of a Strategic Research Agenda for Ageing well that will support the delivery and achievement of South Australia’s Plan for Ageing Well 2020-2025. The research agenda, which will have a particular focus on health prevention and promotion, aims to bring together a range of stake holders to work collaboratively to promote healthy ageing.
Multi-country initiative to improve SDH and Health Equity
The World Health Organisation has connected with CHiAPRT to assess country readiness for multi-sectorial action and collaborative approaches. The initiative will involve the development of a framework, indicator list and survey tool that will be used to understand both facilitators and barriers to collaborative action to address the social determinants of health. A survey of 5 countries will be conducted, the results of which will be analysed by CHiAPRT and submitted in a report to WHO.
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Masterclass: Maximising Research-Policy Partnerships
Mon 22 Aug
The Masterclass will provide participants with learning opportunities to share experiences with rese…
