Supporting children's voice and agency in research

Child abuse is highly prevalent globally and associated with profound consequences for children, underscoring the need for timely and coordinated responses such as the Children's Advocacy Centres (CAC) and the Barnahus (BH). Existing research on these models has primarily examined organisational structures and legal outcomes with significantly less attention given to children's lived experiences. In line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which emphasises both protection and participation, we argue in this editorial for a shift towards centreing children's voices and agency in research. Drawing on three research initiatives - 'Joining the Dots', 'Creating Spaces for Children', and 'Putting the Child First' - this editorial provides examples of how to meaningfully engage children in research. These projects employ creative, participatory, and trauma-informed methods to balance the children's right to protection and right to be heard when capturing the children's perspectives. They illustrate the importance of involving children in research and hence underline the risks of overlooking important insights into how support systems work in practice when children are not involved in research. This calls for greater investment in participatory approaches seeking to actively engage the children's perspectives to inform research, policy, and practice.