Reflections on Practical Approaches to Involving Children and Young People in the Data Analysis Process

This article reflects on key methodological issues emerging from children and young people's involvement in data analysis processes. We outline a pragmatic framework illustrating different approaches to engaging children, using two case studies of children's experiences of participating in data analysis. The article highlights methods of engagement and important issues such as the balance of power between adults and children, training, support, ethical considerations, time and resources. We argue that involving children in data analysis processes can have several benefits, including enabling a greater understanding of children's perspectives and helping to prioritise children's agendas in policy and practice. © 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation © 2007 National Children's Bureau.     

Qualitative Health Research with Children

The authors of this article identify and discuss some of the practical and ethical issues of qualitative research with children. The problems are illustrated through a research study about children's experience of asthma, and the way in which they perceive and interpret their condition. It is shown that social research with children has inherent difficulties relating to access, ethical and developmental issues. Researchers do not only have to gain parental permission but also want the child to enter the research voluntarily. Because of the children's stage of development and the asymmetrical relationship between researcher and informants, adequate safeguards and awareness of these problems are essential.     

Participatory action research (PAR) with children and youth: An integrative review of methodology and PAR outcomes for participants,organizations, and communities

Due to an increasing emphasis on children's rights, children's participation in studies about social issues has become a trend. The research community has been liberally utilizing the concept of participatory action research (PAR). Thus, oversimplification of children's involvement and misinterpretation of their voices has become a concern for many scholars. This review is an attempt to support the critical conversation about PAR, especially in regard to (1) its methodological features, as well as (2) outcomes of genuine children's participation in PAR for children and youth themselves, social service organizations, and communities. Forty-five articles were selected and coded for analysis in accordance with integrative review methodology. PAR with children and youth showed evidence of positive outcomes for children, organizations, and communities. However, PAR with children and youth still faces the challenges of involving very young participants, providing meaningful participation opportunities and addressing power differences between children and adults in diverse cultural contexts. Discussion of methodological challenges and review of critical outcomes of the PAR approach is provided.     

Ethical Issues in Child Custody and Dependency Cases

Abstract

The emotional and psychological risks to children of high conflict divorce have led to the increased involvement of mental health professionals in child custody cases. Numerous service models (Greenberg & Gould, 2001; Johnston, 2000; Johnston & Roseby, 1997) have been developed to assist divorcing families in minimizing family conflict and supporting children'S needs. This underscores the need for judges and attorneys to understand the ethical and professional standards that underlie competent mental health practice in forensic cases. The practices of mental health professionals providing court-related services may have a substantial impact on the validity of their professional opinions, the effectiveness of services provided to children and families, and children'S development and adjustment. The authors suggest core ethical and clinical issues to be considered by all psychologists who work in the context of custody disputes. It is hoped that these professional practice suggestions will also be useful to attorneys and judicial officers in assessing the quality of mental health professionals' opinions.     

Engaging with Primary-aged Children about their Emotions and Well-being: Methodological Considerations

This article notes that an increasing number of researchers are seeking to carry out studies which engage with children rather than use them as passive sources of data. Often there need to be compromises between ideals of participation and requirements of research sponsors. Some of the relevant methodological issues are illustrated with reference to a qualitative study of children's perceptions of their emotional needs and well-being. The authors describe some of the benefits of combining focus group discussions and individual interviews. Examples are given of a range of techniques that proved helpful.     

Parent-as-researcher: The politics of researching in the personal life

Several roles for conducting ethnographic research with children have been discussed, but one that has been omitted is the parent-as-researcher. In this paper, we describe some of the methodological advantages and disadvantages of the longitudinal ethnography of preadolescent children we conducted in our community using this methodological approach. We discuss the implications of our role lodging in this complete membership stance and the type of role relations, role identification, and role bifurcation that arose from this combined research/membership approach. We conclude by addressing the ethical issues associated with researching the community of one's own children. An earlier draft of this paper was presented at theWorkshop on Methodological Issues in Fieldwork with Children, Cortland, NY, October, 1994.     

Lessons from introducing a livelihood project for unaccompanied children into an existing child protection programme in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya

Evidence shows that displacement, family separation and economic status are risk factors for child protection concerns and children's mental health, and that violence and economic status are risk factors for children's physical, emotional and social development. Family based care, community social support and economic strengthening have been shown to moderate such risk factors. This article explores the introduction of a livelihood project for unaccompanied children into an existing child protection programme in the Dadaab refugee camp complex in Kenya, with the primary objective of strengthening the household economy of foster families and improving the care of the fostered children. In this article the authors reflect on the programme's work in recognising and building on existing traditional clan-based family tracing and care mechanisms for unaccompanied and separated children, as well as the importance of understanding the particular needs of specific groups of children such as those without appropriate care. They discuss issues of insecurity and lack of funding affecting programme quality and programme monitoring, and discus challenges of project design. Consideration of how such challenges can impact on existing traditional care mechanisms is shared. The authors argue for greater acknowledgement and efforts to build on traditional child protection mechanisms within wider debates on child protection systems; greater understanding and consideration of the needs of unaccompanied children in particular contexts; better monitoring of the outcomes of child protection programmes on the children they serve; and adequate and sustained funding for child protection in emergencies.     

The Ethics of Social Research with Children: An Overview1

This paper attempts to provide an overview of ethical issues related to social research with children. It sets the discussion in the context of current debates about researching children in the UK, and explores the extent to which children should be regarded as similar to, or different from, adults in social research, focusing on how children are positioned as vulnerable, incompetent and relatively powerless in society in general, and how this conceptualisation of children needs to be taken into account in social research. The paper concludes with some practical and methodological suggestions.     

Small Voices: Children's Rights and Representation in Social Work Research

The persons who are social work's constituencies are typically disenfranchised and excluded. This is particularly the case with children whose voices are routinely suppressed. This paper outlines why Children's Article 12 Rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to express their views on all matters concerning them should also apply to social work research. The ethical issues around research with children are explored and a number of different research methods are outlined in order to offer a starting point for social workers wishing to place children's viewpoints and voices at the centre of their research.     

Research Ethics and the Concept of Children's Rights

This paper examines the arguments that have been put forward about the implications of children's rights for the ethics of research involving children. It begins by exploring the concept of rights, and the different kinds of right that have been identified in the philosophical literature. From this, the discussion moves to the nature and legitimacy of children's rights. Finally, the implications of the debates about children's rights are examined for research ethics. It is argued that these implications are more limited and problematic than is generally recognised.     

‘What did you think about that?’ Researching children's perceptions of participation in a longitudinal genetic epidemiological study

This paper examines how empirical study of children's involvement in non‐therapeutic health research can contribute to our understanding of the significance of the research to the children themselves. This raises issues that are pertinent to, and which will guide policy relating to ethical protection in research. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature considering how children perceive research in general, and non‐therapeutic health research in particular. The empirical study is then described, outlining the approach to sampling, recruitment and the focus group method used. This is followed by consideration of several key issues relating to research with children, with particular reference to ethical protection. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Provider perceptions of safety planning with children impacted by intimate partner violence

Safety planning is a widespread intervention used with clients who have experienced domestic violence victimization. Although children are impacted by domestic violence, attention to the unique needs of children as they relate to domestic violence safety planning has received little attention to date. The authors conducted nine focus groups with domestic violence service providers about their perceptions of child safety planning. This article reports on the findings and implications of this focus group study that can inform the safety planning needs of children impacted by domestic violence. The themes discussed include Child Protective Services, the needs of older boys, school-related issues, custody-related issues, the extent to which children should be involved in safety planning, parenting issues, tools and tips for safety planning with children, and resources and services to promote children's safety.     

A new look at the health and homeless experience of a cohort of five-year olds

Homelessness is increasing and health workers and others need to be ever vigilant about the risk that this has on children's health. What is that risk and what are children's experiences of homelessness? A retrospective case note study was carried out to compare the health of a group of five-year olds who had experienced homelessness and compare them with matched ‘non-homeless’ controls. A home interview questionnaire was used to give a profile of the children's housing experience and the health issues faced during their time in temporary accommodation. Fifty-three cases when compared with 41 controls showed a statistically greater prevalence of child protection issues and an increased number of health needs identified at the school nurse health appraisal. The housing profile identified that the case children moved homes many times (37 per cent more than five times), were homeless much longer than the officially registered period (67 per cent more than 12 months) and 61 per cent were made homeless through domestic violence. The study reinforces the need for us to acknowledge important environmental stress and to continue to advocate for this group of disadvantaged children.     

The Impact of Bandung City's Rapid Development on children's Independent Mobility and Access to Friendly Play Environments

This study explored the extent to which the enormous development in Bandung City, Indonesia has some bearing on local children as the youngest inhabitants. In particular, it focused on the issue of children's independent mobility and the availability of friendly play environments in children's neighbourhoods. The result of this study showed that the development of Bandung City has created a disparity in access regarding children's opportunities for mobility as well as participation in friendly play environments. This study identified that many children were allowed to visit two places — local shops and the local mosque — without accompanying elders. This study also recognised children's desires to have appropriately designed play spaces, such as parks that are equipped with play equipment and rich in nature. Thus, this study argues the necessity to preserve the remaining and add a significant number of new, free, outdoor play spaces in the city.     

Exploring issues of children as actors in social research

In recent years, there has been an increasing focus among childhood researchers on the concept of children's agency, or children as social actors, within research. The argument for the focus on children as ‘agents’ has commonly critiqued an earlier dominant tradition of research, whereby children had been positioned as passive objects of investigation, with their capacity for social agency largely ignored.This paper provides a theoretical and methodological exploration of the concept of children's agency in the research process. The authors outline conceptual developments that have contributed to the increased focus on children's agency and discuss how this focus has influenced research methods, both in terms of counting children in and researching collaboratively with them. Key elements of a methodological framework for promoting children's agency in collaborative research are outlined and some of the contextual obstacles to the implementation of this framework are discussed, in particular those encountered in attempting to ‘balance power relations’ between adults and children. The facilitation by adults of children themselves as researchers is identified as a possible way forward.The paper concludes with a brief discussion on the extent to which the acknowledgement of children's agency in research may lead to more inclusive policy practices.     

Social Fathering in Low‐Income,African American Families with Preschool Children

Although research increasingly focuses on nonresident biological fathers, little attention has been given to the role of other men in children's lives. The authors examine the factors associated with social father presence and their influence on preschoolers' development. Findings indicate that the majority of children have a social father and that mother, child, and nonresident biological father characteristics are all related to social father presence. These associations differ depending on whether the social father is the mother's romantic partner or a male relative. The social father's influence on children's development also depends on his relationship to the child. Male relative social fathers are associated with higher levels of children's school readiness, whereas mothers' romantic partner social fathers are associated with lower levels of emotional maturity.     

CHILD CARE AND POVERTY IN SOUTH AFRICA

This article draws on ethnographic research with children and their caregivers to explore the interaction between poverty and the nature and quality of child care in a resource-poor urban community in South Africa. The authors attend to issues such as mobility and “family fragmentation,” the role of the extended family and other networks, and children's contributions to their own and others’ care, all matters that provoke particular concern in the context of HIV/AIDS. The research challenges some of the more conventional interpretations on these matters by pointing to the continuities children experience in what can appear a disrupted care setting as well as the positive aspects of children's involvement in care. It also supports the case for a closer look at men's participation in various child-care roles in a climate where they are often dismissed as absent or unemployed and therefore non-contributory. Future research and policy on child care would benefit from the conceptual approach adopted across this work, which employs a relational lens and encompasses the dynamic contexts in which care is experienced and performed.     

Letting Her Go: Western Adoptive Families’ Search and Reunion With Chinese Birth Parents

This is the first study to investigate the trend of adopted individuals from China who search for and reunite with their birth parents. The authors suggest that the closed nature of China's international adoption program and growing ethical concerns about children's true origins impact the desire to search. Due to the generally younger ages of Chinese adoptees, adoptive parents have taken an unprecedentedly proactive role in this process. This article relies on in-depth interviews with adopted children and adoptive parents from seven Western families who reunited with Chinese birth parents. Interviews focused on the decision to search and methods used; the initial reunion; the development of bonds between adoptive and birth families; and post-reunion views of searching.     

Parental involvement in children's residential treatment: From preplacement to aftercare

Policy reforms and empirical evidence supporting family focused care for children have increased parental involvement in children's residential treatment. Reasons for encouraging family involvement in children's out-of-home care and factors that inhibit parents from participating in children's residential care are outlined. Methods used by treatment facilities to encourage family participation in children's preplacement, treatment, and aftercare stages of placement are reviewed. Important questions nd research necessary to increase parental involvement in children's residential treatment are identified.     

Scholarship on Fatherhood in the 1990s and Beyond

Throughout the 1990s, scholars interested in fatherhood have generated a voluminous, rich, and diverse body of work. We selectively review this literature with an eye toward prominent theoretical, methodological, and substantive issues. This burgeoning literature, complemented by social policy makers' heightened interest in fathers and families, focuses on fatherhood in at least 4 key ways. First, theorists have studied fatherhood as a cultural representation that is expressed through different sociocultural processes and embedded in a larger ecological context. Second, researchers have conceptualized and examined the diverse forms of fatherhood and father involvement. Third, attempts have been made to identify the linkages between dimensions of the father‐child relationship and developmental outcomes among children and fathers. Fourth, scholars have explored the father identity as part of a reciprocal process negotiated by men, children, mothers, and other interested parties. Our review highlights research that examines the relationships between dimensions of the father‐child relationship and children's well‐being and development. We conclude by discussing promising avenues of scholarship for the next generation of research on fatherhood.