The Balancing Act: Reflections From Three Projects on Negotiating Participation and Protection in Doing Research With Children and Young People on Violence and Abuse

The interplay between participation and protection often sits in tension in research with children and young people (CYP), especially on topics related to violence and abuse. Drawing upon our three doctoral research projects, which involved different contexts and participatory approaches (Consultative, Co-produced, and Co-research), we acknowledge the imperative balance between participation and protection as mutually reinforcing rather than a hierarchy. The first, a Consultative participatory project with young people who have displayed harmful sexual behaviour, explored their perspectives of safety, risk, and rights under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child ( n = 4, 13–18 years). The second, a Co-produced approach, through a series of participatory workshops, engaged CYP in co-creating knowledge, understanding and recommendations on addressing sexual violence ( n = 29, 13–18 years). The third, a participatory action research project with LGBTQ + young co-researchers, explored domestic abuse help-seeking through shared decision-making, co-designing, and co-analysis of the research ( n = 12, 16–25 years). We reflect on the differences and intersections within our approaches to balancing protection and participation, particularly in embedding ongoing consent, co-creating safety, and promoting young people-led understanding instead of adult-centric views. We argue for participatory methods to reflect a balancing act between fulfilling rights to participation and protection.