"You child is just wonderful”: On ethics and access in research with children

Summary, in English

This article discuss the consequences of the ambiguous view of children in the ethical guidelines – the ambitions to “give voice” while also “protect” – with a point of departure taken in the Swedish context, and in an actual research process of a project on children and care. It shows how the regulation of informed consent through the parent compromises the ideals of child-centred research; firstly, by limiting the child’s possibility to opt in to research; secondly, by affecting the relationship between researcher, child and parent in the research encounter; and thirdly, by jeopardizing the child’s right to confidentiality. The author argues that we should view not only the child’s but also the adult’s consent as a “continuous negotiation” and discusses strategies for strengthening the child’s right to opt in and participate in research on equal terms.

• Author: Sara Eldén
• Department/s: Department of Sociology
• Publishing year: 2013
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Journal of Comparative Social Work
• Issue: 2
• Links: http://jcsw.no/?page=issueContent&issue=issue12&section=articleContent&article=04
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Universitetet i Nordland
• Topic: Sociology
• Keywords: children; ethics; research ethics; qualitative methods
• Status: Published
• Project: Relationer kring omsorg bortom familjen (FAS 2010-0505)
• Research group: Critical Perspectives in Sociology / Kritiska Studier i Sociologi
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 0809-9936