Friday May 9 2002

1
Friday May 9 2002

• Julia Waldman, Senior Research Fellow
• Participative approaches
• to research involving young people

2
The session route

• Conceptualising how to do it a principled
  framework
• Why participative approaches
• Ethics and practicalities - drawing on project
  examples
• A design challenge

3
A framework for conducting youth related research

• on, for, with, by
• Veto a choice to say yes or no
• Consultation opportunities to express views
• Involvement views are expressed and taken into
  account
• Partnership participants work with researchers
  to construct the research
• Control participants lead the research,
  researcher as consultant or adviser or doer

4
Roles in the framework are not static may be
phases of involvement by users in research

• Design
• Delivery
• Dissemination

5
Why participation?

• Its 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

6
Ethics and practicalities

• Lifestage issues
• Status of young person
• Access
• Consent
• Safety
• Power, control
• Credibility politics of research

7
Examples of research involving young people

• Sexual Health needs
• Community needs
• Behaviour Resource Service evaluation
• West Sussex audit of CP Post

8
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?PageID319research in practice Quality
Protects Research Briefings Young Peoples
Participation (2000)http//www.rip.org.uk/Trust
for the Study of AdolescenceESRCs- 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/knowledg
e/sub_research.phpYouth. Gov. (Australian
portal) http//www.padv.dpmc.gov.au/oswpdf/csnewes
t.pdfSave the Children - http//www.savethechild
ren.org.uk/functions/indx_pubs.htmlWorrall, S.
(2000) Young People as Researchers- Learning
Resource PackKirby, P. (1999) Involving Young
Researchers - How to Enable Young People to
Design and Conduct ResearchInterviewing
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.