Friday May 9 2002

Julia Waldman, Senior Research Fellow

Participative approaches

to research involving young people

The session route

• Conceptualising how to do it – a principled framework

• Why participative approaches

• Ethics and practicalities - drawing on project examples

• A design challenge

A framework for conducting youth related research

on, for, with, byVeto – a choice to say yes or noConsultation – opportunities to express viewsInvolvement – views are expressed and taken into

accountPartnership – participants work with researchers

to construct the research Control – participants lead the research,

researcher as consultant or adviser or doer

Roles in the framework are not static – may be phases of involvement by users in research

• Design

• Delivery

• Dissemination

Why participation?

• It’s a ‘good thing’ so says UNCRC and policy (Children and Young Persons’ Unit http://www.cypu.gov.uk/)

• Who can speak for whom?• Challenges historical objectification of

youth and adolescence in research (Griffin, 1997)

• Give and take

Ethics and practicalities

• Lifestage issues

• Status of young person

• Access

• Consent

• Safety

• Power, control

• Credibility – politics of research

Examples of research involving young people

• Sexual Health needs

• Community needs

• Behaviour Resource Service evaluation

• West Sussex audit of CP Post

Examples of useful articles/sites via the web Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Patient Involvement in enhancing service provisionhttp://www.rcog.org.uk/mainpages.asp?PageID=319

research in practice – Quality Protects Research Briefings – Young People’s Participation (2000)http://www.rip.org.uk/

Trust for the Study of AdolescenceESRC’s- Youth, Citizenship and Social Change - an innovative, multi-disciplinary research programme focussing on processes of social inclusion and social exclusion(98-01) http://www.tsa.uk.com/

Youth Influence.com(Canadian site) Research on Youth Participation http://www.youthfluence.com/knowledge/sub_research.php

Youth. Gov. (Australian portal) http://www.padv.dpmc.gov.au/oswpdf/csnewest.pdf

Save the Children - http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/functions/indx_pubs.htmlWorrall, S. (2000) Young People as Researchers- Learning Resource Pack

Kirby, P. (1999) Involving Young Researchers - How to Enable Young People to Design and Conduct Research

Interviewing Strategies with Young People: the ‘Secret Box’, Stimulus Material and Task-based Activities, Samantha Punch, Children & Society, 2002, Vol. 16, 45-56This is a research article with obvious potential for child care practitioners. Punch reports on a Scottish project involving 86 young people aged 13-14 years, of whom 55 were from two mainstream schools and 31 were in residential care. The interest of this work stems from the techniques that the author used in group and individual interviews to obtain their views on a range of problem areas and on possible sources of help. What emerges is not a best method but some practical ideas about how young people can be helped to make their voices heard.