Transparency data

Annual Statement of Compliance with the Concordat to Support Research Integrity, 2025 to 2026

Published 2 October 2026

Introductory statement and summary of actions

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to delivering evidence-based policies and services and to continually strengthening the way science, data, analysis, and evidence are used. We use research to understand the context in which we are working, the challenges we face, 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 assuring and enabling research integrity across DWP’s analytical and science community, supported by an extensive system of guidance and processes. This provides 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) (2026), and its Evidence and Evaluation Strategy (2025). Since the launch of our first ARI in 2018, we have held numerous workshops to discuss research with universities and wider research institutions across Great Britain.

1. 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: 

• Alison Herrington and Anna Bee (Social Research) 

• Alexander Rass (Statistics) 

• Tom Younger and Vanna Aldin (Economics) 

• Aidan Cross (Operational Research) 

• Tim Knight (Modelling) 

• Iain Wright (Data Analysts)

2. 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. All in-house and externally commissioned research and trials 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 including the Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser. DWP ministers, and The Chief Analyst and Chief Scientific Adviser sign-off all externally commissioned research and trials. 

All analysis supporting fiscal events and business cases (BCs) is reviewed and signed-off by Lead Analysts, including the use of research informing the case and proposed evaluation plans. Analysis for fiscal events and BCs going through Investment Committee is also reviewed by central teams, with Review Scrutiny Panels providing additional feedback in some cases. Scrutiny covers not just the outputs of the analysis but a range of key factors including assumptions, data sources and methods. 

DWP analysts are supported by central analytical support teams across all stages of the design, scrutiny and commissioning of their research and analysis. Central analytical support teams are available to all DWP analysts, covering research design, trial design, evaluation and Theory of Change. Additional peer support and guidance are available, including an Ethics Advice Panel and Methods 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.

3. Guidance for researchers, employers and commissioners of research

DWP analysts and researchers are bound by the Civil Service Code and Professional Codes (such as the Government Social Researcher code). Additional guidance is also available on the DWP intranet covering specific issues, such as commissioning and data protection. DWP uses and tailors Government Social Research (GSR) guidance (e.g on ethics, incentives, accessibility and research inclusivity) to develop its own more detailed process guidance. 

DWP’s In-House Research Unit has also developed guidance to assist researchers, such as on notetaking and interviewing. 

DWP’s Artificial Intelligence Security Policy outlines how suppliers may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) when working with DWP. Before using AI within research activity, Senior Responsible Officer approval is required and the specific AI tool(s) being used must be documented in the Data Protection Impact Assessment.  

We regularly review our guidance to identify gaps, check for required updates, and to ensure it is clear and accessible. 

4. Training and awareness raising 

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, its responsiveness to their profession-specific development, and individual learning needs and aspirations. Analysts also have the opportunity to attend profession-specific events, such as an in-person learning day for social researchers. 

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. Lead Analyst areas also have a training budget for their area and individual analysts regularly attend courses that they identify for their own development. 

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. Additional training curricula, including those on trials and qualitative research methods, have been developed and are available to all analysts via the DWP intranet.

5. External engagement 

DWP engages widely and proactively to bring in external expertise, including through DWP’s Methods Advisory Group (MAG), a science advisory council. The MAG consists of a group of nine expert academics who support DWP’s Chief Scientific Adviser by providing independent cross-cutting advice to DWP’s internal analytical and scientific functions.  

DWP analysts have engaged with the UK Research Integrity (UKRI) Office to further enhance their understanding of research good practice, research culture and integrity. The DWP engages regularly with the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to ensure that they are fully aware of the Department’s priorities and that we make best use of the work funded by them. DWP’s Chief Analyst also sits on the ESRC Council. 

The DWP is committed to working with academics to support meeting our priority evidence needs, to share knowledge, and to further expertise. Through the ARI-based workshops described in the introductory statement and through other contacts DWP analysts are engaged with many academic research programmes and projects. DWP has participated in the UKRI Policy Fellowship Programme since 2023. Participation in this programme has supported the recruitment of several academic secondees to support the work of our In-House Research Unit. 

DWP also regularly provides placements for analytical, doctoral students to provide an external perspective on our research and analysis. 

DWP has sought to make administrative data available for academic research, most notably the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset (LEO) and the Registration and Population Interactions Dataset (RAPID) through Admin Data Research UK, and through the UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration. 

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

DWP engages with external experts to support individual evaluations, for example through the Evaluation and Trial Advice Panel (ETAP) and by inviting external experts to sit on DWP advisory and steering groups.  

6. 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 roadmap, the Health Transformation Programme Evaluation Strategy, Jobs and Career Service 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. DWP also publishes a list of current research undertaken by external organisations, including the title and fieldwork dates, so contact can be verified as genuine. Every piece of internal and externally commissioned research, including trials, must complete a template to ensure a record of research and trials internally. 

DWP’s Evidence and Evaluation Strategy was updated in 2025. It includes the commitment to upload details of all our planned, live and completed evaluations on the Evaluation Registry.  

7. Publication of research 

DWP is committed to publishing research reports in line with the GSR Publication Protocol which recommends products from government social research and analysis be made publicly available. Our published research reports are available on GOV.UK. Instances of non-publication of research are in line with the GSR Publication Protocols. The DWP Head of Profession for Social Research reports regularly to the GSR Board on compliance with publication. Currently, where research projects have included the collection of data and are intended for publication, the project managers may opt to upload the fully anonymised data to the UK Data Archive to make it externally available for research purposes. However, data is not regularly uploaded. Additional guidance on the UK Data Archive is currently in development.   

Internally, evidence is collated on 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. DWP also maintains a central database of research that goes through the Research Approval Template, covering in-house and external research. 

8. Research misconduct 

DWP analysts have access to internal processes and support if they need to raise and handle concerns about research misconduct. While there is not a specific process for research misconduct, DWP has established processes for reporting and addressing misconduct more broadly, which would apply in these cases. DWP has processes to manage complaints from research participants (for example, concerns about how they were contacted or use of personal data) and to respond to challenges from suppliers following research procurement exercises, though these are not formal misconduct policies. 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. Analysts are expected to adhere to the Civil Service Code and Lead Analysts have specific responsibilities for ensuring the quality and appropriate governance of analysis.  

For externally commissioned research, contractors are held accountable for any misconduct through the terms and conditions of their contract. There is active contact and relationship management by DWP with its contractors, Contractors are usually members of the Market Research Society (MRS) and/or the Social Research Association (SRA). 

A reminder of DWP’s commitment to the Concordat to Support Research Integrity is included in Invitations to Tender. The DWP expects all individuals involved with the provision of research services (including researchers, research support staff, research managers and administrators) to abide by the research integrity principles set out in this document, and to work with due respect for one another within a supportive and open environment. The highest standards of integrity, honesty and professionalism and are expected to be embedded in every aspect of DWP research.