Social Research for the Government

This is an old reprt but gives some useful insights into Civil Service Research…

Key GSR contact: , Chief Government Social Researcher                                                                                         Cabinet Office, Room 3.14, Admiralty Arch, The Mall, London, SW1A 2WH

Tel: 020 7276 1327

www.gsr.gov.uk

 

The Role

Social research is used to inform the design of government policy and the way it is delivered, and has the key role in evaluating the impact of policies and whether they are working as intended.  GSR comprises of approximately 1,000 social researchers located in 20 government departments including department of constitutional affairs, DTI, DEFRA, Home Office, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister etc. Most are based in London but others are based nationally eg: DWP in Sheffield, Scottish Executive in Edinburgh.

Examples of projects a Social Researcher might be involved in included:

·         Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.  Commissioning of a project to explore reasons why local authority rent arrears are so high.  Findings led to workshops and seminars being run for local authority staff on how to adapt their arrear collection strategies.

·         Department for Work and Pensions. Project to establish numbers of population who suffer from a disability.  Bringing together a range of different data sources to establish one measure to be used across the government.

·         Department of Education. Assessment of success of different approaches to teaching sex education in schools.  This revealed the effectiveness of peer education in this area.

·         Department of Constitutional Affairs.  Evaluation of the effectiveness of a Community Justice Centre in Liverpool

Whilst social researchers will be involved in some hands on research eg: developing questionnaires, interviewing study participants much of the work is outsourced to external research agencies eg: National Centre for Social Research, Universities, market research organisations etc.  Managing outsourced projects is a main part of the work and job will not suit someone who wants to work purely in a research capacity.

As well as developing, commissioning and managing major research projects social researchers also have to react instantaneously to requests from ministers for information to back up a question in parliament or a press story. Therefore the job requires flexibility.

GSR staff work closely with policy teams, government statisticians, external agencies, senior civil servants and ministers and so excellent communication skills are essential.  The work of a government social researcher is integrated into policy formation and operational planning and so staff must be interested in how research is used as well as just delivering results.

 

 

 

Recruitment

There is no central recruitment for the GSR, departments recruit as and when they need people.  Entry level is as a Research Officer.  Entry requirements are usually 2.1 degree with a substantial social research element.  In reality most recruits seemed to have masters in social research or a years experience as a research assistant in a university or research organisation.  Applicants should have an interest in policy and political processes and knowledge of research methodology and techniques, they are not expected to a specialist knowledge of the departmental area. The selection process is currently being standardised across all departments to include a competency based application form, a social research aptitude test, an interview including case study analysis and a numeracy test.  There are plans to develop entrance to the GSR through Fast Track but the details of this are still being arranged. Posts are advertised in the Guardian on Wednesday and at www.gsr.gov.uk

Research Officers can earn from 23K including London weighting rising to 28k for Senior Research Officers.  Levels of pay vary across departments. Rates of pay compare favourably to academic and independent research organisations.

Useful cv boosting experience could be gained from:

·         Helping on a research project within university

·         Volunteering in the research dept of a charity or pressure group

·         Interviewing for a questionnaire company

·         Research methods summer school or short course.

Work experience is offered on an ad hoc basis as are opportunities to take on short term positions. Students who are interested in work experience or temporary work should send cv and speculative letters to the specific departments they are interested in.

 

Progression

There is an emphasis on training and research officers may get the opportunity to do part or all of a masters course.  Promotion to Senior Research Officer level happens after 3-4 years and Principal Research Officer level after 5. Staff usually move between departments on a fairly regular basis and opportunities come up to do secondments with external research agencies or university research teams.  There is an expectancy that staff will move in and out of the research specialism and may move sideways to work in an operational or policy role.  Senior staff are expected to have spent some of their career in a role different to their original field.