The Child and Youth Participation Special Interest Group of the Children’s Research Network is delighted to host an in-person colloquium on 12th June 2024 for researchers focusing on how to engage and promote children and young people’s voices in research. The colloquium will discuss ethics and trauma-informed research practices involving children and young people. It aims to reach individuals and organisations who may be hesitant or fearful of including children and young people as co-designers, co-participants, or research participants, as well as those already involving children and young people who want to share or develop their practice.
The colloquium will feature keynote speakers, workshops and research presentations aimed at exploring how researchers can engage with children and young people in their research. We welcome submissions that explore innovative approaches, best practices, and case studies related to engaging children and young people in research processes, particularly in the context of ethics and trauma-informed practices.
Colloquium Details:
Date: 12th June 2024, 10am-4pm
Location: Technological University of the Shannon, Limerick
Tickets are now released for the Colloquium!
Ticket Prices:
CRN Member: €20
CRN Member (Student/ Reduced Rate): €15
Non-Member: €25
Non-Member (Student/ Reduced Rate): €20
Non-member (Including CRN Membership): €60
Non-Member (Student/ Reduced Rate) (Including CRN Membership): €30
Please note: The cost of the tickets covers room booking and catering for the event only. The CRN is a non-profit organisation; all funds go back into the network's operations.
Check out our event programme!
Meet Our Keynote Speakers!
We have two fantastic keynote speaker sessions scheduled for the day!
The first keynote session will be given by Dr Edel Tierney and Dr Caroline Roe, National Research Officers with Tusla Child and Family Agency. The National Research Office is part of Tusla’s Quality and Regulation Directorate.
Dr Tierney’s current research focus lies in finding ways to embed the voice of children and young people in the research activities of Tusla and how this can inform practice and policy. She is interested in the questions of how can research inform and improve our responses to children? How can research make a difference in the day-to-day lives of children and families? And how can the voice of children and families be embedded in this process?
Dr Roe is a researcher with over 20 years’ experience in the Health and Social Services field. She has worked with statutory child care services over many years undertaking a number of research projects aimed at improving care planning and promotion of positive outcomes for children in care. More recently she has been involved in research with parents of children in care developing a participatory model for practice. She has recently completed a PhD entitled “Risk factors and patterns of disruption in foster care in Ireland” at the University of Limerick.
Dr Tierney and Dr Roe’s presentation will be an interactive session with audience participants and focus on the legislative and policy context of doing research with children and young people. They will consider the key requirements and responsibilities for researchers doing research with children and young people and consider how children’s voices can be embedded in the process underpinned by a rights based approach.
The second keynote session will be given by Aoife McNamara, Acting Head of Participation and Rights Education in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office.
Aoife has worked in the Ombudsman for Children for the last six years and has produced serval notable consultations with children including Pieces of Us, Direct Division and No Place Like Home. Aoife has been working in the area of human rights for over decade and has expertise in working with marginalised children. She is passionate about amplifying the voices and opinions of children and is committed to including children in decision making.
Aoife’s presentation will centre around children’s participation in reporting to the United Nations.