Hosted by the CRN Child and Youth Participation SIG, this event marks the dual release of the latest Children’s Research Network (CRN) Child and Youth Participation Special Interest Group’s Research Bulletin and the official launch of the CRN Child Rights and Wellbeing SIG. The session will provide a critical platform to explore the evolving landscape of participatory research with children and young people.
The event centres around the CRN Child and Youth Participation SIG’s Research Bulletin. The bulletin, featuring research from SIG members, highlights the practical application of participatory research with children and young people across a wide developmental spectrum—from early years (ages 3–4) through primary school to Transition Year students (ages 15–17). The featured research highlights a move toward creative, multi-modal designs that prioritise child voice and choice in the research process.
Key research themes include:
Children’s perceptions of their own wellbeing, drawing from primary school settings in Northern Ireland and Dublin.
Restorative practice and voice, through a focused exploration of how restorative circles in DEIS schools support students and teachers in building collective skills and strengthening student voice.
An introduction to a Junior Researcher model, the K4C-4-Kids programme, improving children’s engagement with the full research process and researchers.
A spotlight on PhD research utilising the Mosaic approach, emphasis children’s preferences for autonomy and decision-making.
The session will move from a critical reflection on child and youth participation, it’s ethical challenges and methodologies, given by Dr Deirdre Horgan (UCC) to a panel discussion with the authors focused on the ethics, challenges, and enablers of conducting such diverse participatory work.
The launch concludes with the introduction of the Child Rights and Wellbeing SIG. This new group aims to build a community of practice across the island of Ireland, providing a dedicated space for dialogue and the promotion of rights-based research. Details on the SIG’s mission and its activities will be shared, alongside links to access the full Bulletin.
Event registration is now open via the link below. We hope to see you at what promises to be an interesting and inspiring session of child and youth participatory research and rights!
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Deirdre Horgan is Professor of Early Years and Childhood Studies at the School of Education, University College Cork. Deirdre’s research interests lie in the areas of childhood, children’s rights and participation, children’s research methods, and child migration. She has conducted a number of funded research projects using child participatory methods and reported on Irish government consultations with children on a range of policy issues. Deirdre was co-investigator on IMMERSE a Horizon 2020 study examining the socio-educational integration of migrant children across Europe https://www.immerse-h2020.eu/ , and the CERV project - Empowering Children’s Participation in Malta - for strengthening children’s participation in policy making in Malta. She recently completed Literature Reviews for Hub na nÓg on Methodologies (DCDE, 2024) for Consulting with Children Aged Birth to 5 Years and on participation mechanisms for children aged 6-12 (DCDE, 2025). Deirdre is co-editor of Child and Youth Participation in Policy, Practice and Research (Routledge, 2021). She is a reviewer for high-indexed Childhood journals and is on the editorial board of Children’s Geographies.
