Young People as Researchers: Finding out what we need to Know

Megan Hessell, Lea Alderslade and Lisa Fitzgerald

Megan Hessell has broad cross-cultural experience. she completed her secondary education in New Zealand, Poland and Brunei, and has taught english as a second language in China. Megan is currently studying spanish and Philosophy at Canterbury university in Christchurch. she has worked as a peer educator in Christchurch secondary schools and as a researcher for the Collaborative for Research and Training in youth Health and development Trust.

Lea Alderslade has well-established interests in acting (stage and film), music, art and design, with professional qualifications in performing arts and theatre. These skills have contributed to the training of health professionals and to documentary production. Lea has worked as a sexual health peer educator in Christchurch secondary schools, and as a volunteer at Cholmondeley Children�s Home. she is a researcher with the Collaborative for Research and Training in youth Health and development Trust.

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A qualitatively driven, community-based participatory approach is being used by our research team, to develop and pilot a participatory research methodology that will enable the views and voices of children and young people receiving statutory care and protection to be heard and to meaningfully inform best practice. The approach is informed by the work of Jamison and Gilbert (2000) who found that even when young people are involved in participatory research, the research questions are most often adult-driven.

We will present the finding of a systematic literature review of the experience of statutory care and protection, and the incorporation of this into a best practice guideline, and of a qualitative inquiry with young people who have experienced statutory care and protection in the past, to determine the best way to gather such information in New Zealand.