Justifying children and young peoples involvement in social research: Assessing Harm and Benefit:
Recorded on in October 2019
Contributors
Author: Kennan, Danielle; Dolan, Pat
Publisher: Irish Journal of Sociology, 25(3), 297-314
Date: 2017
Geographic Coverage: Ireland
Type of Resource: Academic
Sector/setting: Government
Vulnerable groups: Children, Young People
Developed with children and young people? No
Type of participation: Unknown
Availability: Open Access
Keywords: Participation, Research Ethics, Risk/Benefit Analysis, Protection
Introduction
At a time when children and young people’s involvement in research is increasingly the norm, this article reflects on the importance of a well-reasoned and transparent justification for their inclusion or exclusion. It explores the dilemma of a researcher’s ethical obligation to protect children and young people from harm and at the same time respect their autonomy as social actors and independent rights holders to participate in research of relevance to their lives.
The article takes the debate beyond a call for assessing harm and benefit to providing a strategy for conducting such an assessment at the point of research design.