Information for Researchers

Anyone wishing to conduct research involving children and families served by ACS, ACS staff, foster parents, or our contract agencies, must obtain prior approval from the ACS Research Review Committee.

This includes, but is not limited to, undergraduate and graduate level student research projects, research carried out by universities and research organizations, and program evaluations. Approval from the Research Review Committee is not required if you are only using aggregate data found in existing, publicly available reports.

The Committee reviews proposals to ensure that human subjects are protected, members of the ACS community are not subject to undue research burdens, and that all research is of high quality.

How to submit a research Proposal

1. Carefully review the Research Proposal Submission Guidelines
2. Submit a complete proposal, including your institution’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and all other supporting documents, as outlined in the submission guidelines.
3. You will be contacted by the Research Review Committee with the next steps following your submission. Please note that the process may take several weeks. Research involving only case records or other existing data may be eligible for an expedited review.
4. If you will be collecting client-specific information, ACS may ask you to submit a copy of your proposal to the New York State Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS).