What's New at the RCC Research Department?

What’s new at the RCC Research Department?

The Rehabilitation Centre for Children (RCC) at Specialized Services for Children and Youth (SSCY) Centre provides numerous clinical services for youth and their families across Manitoba and parts of Northwestern Ontario and Nunavut. The RCC Research Department was redeveloped in 2019 and has been steadily growing with over 50 projects currently ongoing! The RCC Research Department is located in the Family Resource Centre at the SSCY Centre. In partnership with the Family Resource Centre, we have developed an ever-expanding Research Library. Come visit and browse the knowledge translation resources from RCC-affiliated research projects, including articles, infographics, and more that can be loaned and shared. If you’re a researcher who has completed your RCC-affiliated study and want to be sure that your work is included in the Research Library, please reach out the research department (research@rccinc.ca) to share a family-friendly summary of your study findings.

 What kind of research is being conducted at RCC?

If you are curious about the types of projects that are occurring, the new RCC website (www.rccinc.ca) is a great resource to explore. You can also catch up on Breakfast at SSCY, our monthly learning series. If you have missed any past presentations, want to rewatch or share them, you can find the recordings under the ‘Knowledge Sharing’ tab. You can also check out RCC supported research projects and get to know what projects are underway, including those that are actively looking for study participants. You can also learn about the research that has been done at RCC over the last five years.

How are families invited to participate in research?

Before any research is advertised at RCC/SSCY Centre, each individual project must apply for RCC Research Impact Review. The project is evaluated by members of the research committee to ensure it aligns with the missions, values, principles, and over all goals and objectives of RCC. Once a project is approved, the research team can share information about their study with families who receive RCC services. Family participation in research projects is a critical component for the success of research, and the research department works hard to help researchers connect with families who are eligible to participate. This is generally done through social media postings, research posters throughout the centre, on site recruitment via research coordinators or research volunteers, website advertisements, and through a “Consent to Contact” database that houses information from families who have agreed to be contacted in the future for research projects. This database has grown over the years, with over 1800 families signed up! We have been continuing to look at more and better ways to connect families and researchers and another important change is on the horizon!

In development for RCC: ACCESS Research Opportunities

“ACCESS” (A Client Centred Effort to Support Sharing) Research Opportunities! Here is your teaser – a bigger announcement will be coming down the road. ACCESS is an initiative being developed that aims to ensure all families who may want to participate in research at RCC have a better opportunity to hear about the amazing research opportunities. ACCESS will be an ‘opt-out’ based program (compared to our previous ‘opt-in’ process), where families who attend RCC in person for appointments will be automatically added to a Consent to Contact database unless they choose to be removed (i.e., opt-out). This will improve opportunities for families to hear about and participate in research.  This project is in development in partnership with the RCC Family Advisory Council.

RCC Research Department works together with ENRRICH

The RCC Research Department continues to grow and is closely connected through the provincial research theme, ENRRICH (Excellence in Neurodevelopment and Rehabilitation Research In Child Health). The partnership between RCC and ENRRICH has led to new research collaborations, the development of new clinician led projects, and support for transferring clinical data to the Manitoba Center for Health Policy (MCHP). Including RCC data at MCHP enables researchers to link clinical data with provincial administrative data to inform practice and policy through research.  ENRRICH members make up the majority of the team members on RCC projects.  Through networks like this, our Manitoba partnerships will contribute to successful outcomes on both a local and national level, supporting the RCC Research Department’s goal of helping our families and children to learn, grow, and thrive.

About the Author

Stephanie is the RCC research assistant located at SSCY Centre. She is responsible for coordinating and moderating the monthly webinar series Breakfast at SSCY, development and maintenance of Research Library and supervising undergraduate students and student volunteers working with the research department. Stephanie has a BA in psychology/conflict resolution and will be working towards her Masters in expressive art therapy.