Ethical research involving children: encouraging reflexive engagement in research with children and young people

Research involving children raises complex and well-documented ethical questions and challenges that extend far beyond the reach of formal review and governance systems, where these exist. However, researchers collectively have a wealth of knowledge and experience in applying universal ethical principles in diverse social, cultural and methodological settings, which offers much potential for understanding how ethical concerns are responded to in situ. Through extensive consultation and research, the Ethical Research Involving Children (ERIC) project, discussed in this article, has drawn on this collective knowledge in generating evidence-based resources that highlight best practice while grounding ethical decision-making in lived experience.