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A practical guide to public involvement with children and young people in dental research
Emma Morgan1, Jennifer Preston2, Sondos Albadri3
1NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Paediatric Dentistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. emorgan@liverpool.ac.uk.
Insights
Public involvement (PI) in health research engages people as partners, not subjects. This paper explores meaningful involvement of children and young people (CYP) in research, respecting their rights and addressing challenges.
Area of Science:
- Health research methodology
- Child rights and participation
Background:
- Public involvement (PI) in health research involves collaboration 'with' or 'by' individuals, moving beyond research 'on' or 'for' them.
- The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms children and young people's (CYP) right to express views on matters affecting them (Article 12).
- Funders increasingly require evidence of PI in research projects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To outline principles for meaningful public involvement (PI) of children and young people (CYP) in health research.
- To categorize different levels of CYP involvement, from consultation to user-led research.
- To highlight opportunities and challenges in implementing CYP involvement in research.
Main Methods:
- The paper reviews existing frameworks and principles of public involvement in research.
- It categorizes levels of involvement for children and young people (CYP).
- It discusses practical aspects of engaging CYP in various research stages.
Main Results:
- Public involvement (PI) can be structured into distinct levels: consultation, collaboration, and user-led approaches.
- Children and young people (CYP) can contribute to all research phases, including question identification, design, and dissemination.
- Challenges such as funding and time constraints can impede effective PI.
Conclusions:
- Meaningful involvement of children and young people (CYP) in health research is achievable across diverse settings.
- Adhering to basic principles can facilitate effective PI, respecting CYP rights.
- Further exploration of strategies to overcome challenges in CYP involvement is warranted.
Abstract:
Public involvement (PI) in health research is an umbrella term which describes the process by which research is undertaken 'with' or 'by' people rather than 'to', 'about' or 'for' them. The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child provides children and young people (CYP) with a comprehensive set of human rights. In line with Article 12, every child has a right to express their views in all matters which may affect them. Additionally, there has been increased expectation from funders for PI to be demonstrated as part of research. While PI encompasses all activities which aim to involve CYP, they can be categorised into different levels, including consultation, collaboration and user-led. CYP can be involved in many different aspects of research, from research question identification, research design and dissemination. Despite this, there may be challenges to delivering PI, such as funding and time. Using the basic principles outlined in this paper, there is opportunity for involvement of CYP in a range of settings to produce meaningful involvement with CYP.
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