Care Leaver Statistics (CLS): Ethical challenges, rights-based perspectives and data protection in longitudinal research with marginalized and vulnerable groups

• Research into youth and emerging adults who have experienced out-of-home care requires several preliminary considerations and comprehensive right-based perspectives, legal requirements and ethical concepts throughout the whole research process. • Research ethics in studies involving populations such as care leavers should be guided not only by legal requirements, but also by right-based perspectives, methodological awareness, ethical concepts and societal responsibility. This includes accommodating the requirements of longitudinal, intersectional diversity-sensitive (e.g. gender-reflective), trauma-informed, dignity-based research designs with participatory elements. • The necessities concerning research and professional ethics always must be re-evaluated and continuously negotiated during research processes, regarding the respective research content, research subjects, research methods, research questions, findings, discussions, limitations, as well as organizational development or policy-making and the ethical use of data for secondary analysis. Care Leaver Statistics (CLS study) is the first Germany-wide panel study across all providers to focus on the transitions undergone by adolescents and emerging adults leaving out-of-home care. It examines their perspectives for societal participation during their life course. At the beginning of the longitudinal study, the participants are 16 up to and including 19-years-old. The survey reaches around 1.500 care leavers, accompany them in seven survey waves and collect data on multidimensional perspectives for societal participation. In addition to sociodemographic data, data will be recorded on relevant dimensions such as institutional constellations prior to leaving care, opportunities for complaints and participation, sense of coherence, social networks, housing, health, school qualifications and education, employment, financial situation and leisure time. Research involving young people with experiences of out-of-home care (e.g. foster or residential care), such as the CLS study, requires careful conceptual preparation and a comprehensive ethical framework. Diversity-sensitive implications should be systematically considered and reflected upon throughout the research process. Creating a diversity concept adapted to the study is an option for a guiding framework, illustrating possibilities and limitations of applying ethical principles in quantitative research with e.g. care-experienced youth. Implementing elements of participatory research that support community building and can be a resource for empowerment are other options that should be considered on ethical grounds.