Youth-identified considerations, drivers, and strategies for meaningful youth engagement in child maltreatment research

Academic research is rapidly shifting to incorporate and emphasise the expertise of youth with lived experience. However, not all research areas have been equally successful in engaging youth in research processes. Youth engagement in child maltreatment (CM) research has been sparse. To address this gap, the Better Together Child Maltreatment Priority Setting Partnership is engaging youth with lived experience, along with caregivers, clinicians, and researchers, to determine the top 10 priorities for CM research in Canada. A Youth Consultant Panel (YCP) was assembled to inform all aspects of the project from the perspectives of youth. In this discussion article, the YCP and researchers share considerations, drivers, and strategies for meaningful youth engagement in CM research based on experiences of research engagement in varying roles. First, considerations include power imbalances, potential distress and retraumatisation, and unsafe disclosure. Second, drivers for engagement in research are described – the ability to break cycles of violence, to leverage lived experience toward meaningful change, and to build new, safe relationships with peers and researchers. Finally, specific strategies to facilitate meaningful youth engagement are offered: (1) checking researcher readiness; (2) checking youth readiness; (3) considering the approach to engagement and facilitation; and (4) providing appropriate compensation and credit. This article demonstrates how engagement in CM research is intrinsically an act of resistance against past, present, and future violence. • Youth engagement in child maltreatment research has been sparse. • Power imbalances and other considerations may deter engagement. • Engagement is facilitated by the ability to break cycles of violence and other drivers. • Purposeful strategies can enable engagement and its transformative potential for research and youth.