Huber Social Ethical Review Board
Setting a new standard for ethics in social impact measurement
Social impact measurement is an emerging field that sits between continuous internal improvement and research. As such, social impact measurement projects do not fit clearly under existing industry standards for ethical review procedures.
For some sectors, there are relevant ethical review bodies that will accept a submission for social impact measurement projects, such as the Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) Ethics Review Board, or the Australian Research Council’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). However, for many projects there are no appropriate entities.
To ensure that Huber Social’s impact measurement projects ‘do no harm’ and the integrity of our work is maintained, the Huber Social Ethical Review Board (ERB) was created. The Huber Social ERB is a registered Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) with the NHMRC. Our ethics review procedure complies with the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research 2018 and the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research 2023.
The Huber Social ERB is responsible for reviewing each Huber Social measurement project against the requirements of the procedure and the general requirements of the Huber Social Ethical Standards Policy, as well as the Code and the National Statement. The ERB must consider the ethical risks, issues and benefits of the project and decide whether to authorise measurement activities to proceed as planned or mandate conditions, revisions or resubmission.
Once a project is submitted for ethical review, the application is provided to ERB members for assessment and discussion at a bi-monthly review meeting. The ERB is chaired by Brett Nan Tie, Huber Social’s Chief Integrity Officer.
To learn more about the Huber Social Ethical Review Board and its processes and procedures, please consult our Terms of Reference and Standard Operating Procedures. Please note that we are not currently accepting any external ethical review applications at this time.
We’re recruiting new members for the Huber Social Ethical Review Board
If you are interested in joining the Huber Social ERB, please review our membership criteria and submit an application! We are currently recruiting members with the following experience:
People with knowledge of, and current experience in, the professional care, counselling or treatment of people; for example, a nurse or allied health professional
People who perform a pastoral care role in a community, for example, an Aboriginal Elder, a minister of religion
People with knowledge of and experience in legal studies and/or practice
As ethical assessors of Huber Social impact measurement projects, it is important that independence from Huber Social is maintained.
To maintain the integrity of the ethical review process, payment and direct incentives are not offered. However, value in being part of the ERB includes the following:
Purpose - The ERB is an opportunity to be a guardian of people’s wellbeing, especially the wellbeing of the most vulnerable sectors of society.
Community and Thought Leadership - As part of the Huber Social community, members are invited to attend our regular events. We regularly share updates across the social impact measurement ecosystem for discussion and to develop a deeper understanding.
Recognition - ERB members enable us to set the standard for the integrity of social impact measurement, and we recognise and celebrate the effort and time ERB members volunteer to achieve this goal.
For more information on member criteria and requirements, please download our brochure. Additional inquiries can be directed to the Huber Social ERB Secretariat at ethics@hubersocial.com.au
