Co-producing and navigating consent in participatory research with young people

Bibliographic Data

ID12896754
AuthorsElsie Whittington (0000-0001-5762-404X, Manchester Metropolitan University, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume14
Issue3
Pages205-216
Publication date2019-09-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Children s Services (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1746-6660 • E-ISSN: 2042-8677
PublisherEmerald Publishing Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1108/jcs-02-2019-0007
OpenAlexW2966788789
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited20

Purpose Research within the fields of youth sexuality and safeguarding, and ethical governance more broadly, has traditionally prioritised risk aversion over the rights of young people to participate in and shape research. This excludes younger people from setting agendas and directly communicating their lived experience to those in power. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach This paper describes and draws upon findings from an innovative two year participatory action research study exploring sexual consent with young people through embedded and participatory research across seven sites. The project was designed with young people and practised non-traditional approaches to research consent. As well as co-producing research data, the findings highlight how methods of co-enquiry and being explicit about the research consent process enabled young people to develop competence that can be applied in other contexts. Findings The paper addresses ethical tensions between young people’s rights to participation and protection. It argues that alongside robust safeguarding procedures, there is equal need to develop robust participation and engagement strategies with an explicit focus on young people’s competence, agency and rights to participate regardless of the perceived sensitivity of the topic. Originality/value The paper concludes with proposals for future youth-centred research practice. These relate to research design, ethical governance processes around risk and sensitive topics, emphasis on working collaboratively with young people and practitioners, a greater focus on children and young people’s rights – including Gillick competence and fluid models of consent. In doing so, it presents an essential point of reference for those seeking to co-produce research with young people in the UK and beyond

Agency (philosophy · Business · Citizen journalism · Competence (human resources · Corporate governance · Engineering ethics · Informed consent · Originality · Participatory action research · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Safeguarding · Social science · Sociology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Children's Rights and Participation · Disability Rights and Representation · Engineering · Law · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social Psychology

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