Obtaining Consent in Research involving Children – Understanding the Legal and Ethical Framework

This guidance paper describes the importance of obtaining consent from and on behalf of child participants involved in research. It is Guidance Paper 2 in the series The Ethics of Research Involving Children: Common Questions, Potential Strategies and Useful Guidance.

Ethical research considers the international and domestic law, as well as ethical and professional, obligations towards ensuring that participants provide valid consent. Issues around consent are paramount in research ethics applications. The law and ethics of consent are not just about ensuring that the child is fully aware of the implications of his or her involvement in the research and is kept safe (which might necessitate obtaining consent also from adults with parental responsibility); it is equally about ensuring that overly paternalistic approaches to consent are avoided, as such approaches may unintentionally undermine children’s autonomy and prevent children from making decisions and expressing themselves on their own terms. As the ESRC notes in its ethical guidance: “Researchers should consider the ethics implications of silencing and excluding children from research.”

Beazley et al. (2009: 370) refer to this as children’s right to be ‘properly researched’ which ‘translates into: children being participants in research, using methods that make it easy for them to express their opinions, views and experiences and being protected from harm.’