The Research Ethics Tree: engaging children and young people with research ethics using an interactive tool

This research note is a reflective piece about the development and use of the ‘Research Ethics Tree’. The Tree is an original innovation developed as part of a doctoral research project that explored, with service children (aged 9–16), how the British military shapes their identity and school experiences (Robinson, 2024). Inspired by Timperley’s ‘Case of Ethics’ (2019) and created in response to experiencing a gap between ‘procedural ethics’ and ‘ethics in practice’, the Tree is a tool designed to support the ethical participation of children and young people in the research process. In doing so, the Tree contributes to the lively debates and growing engagement in children’s rights and ethical processes by providing an adaptable, engaging and creative example of how researchers can support the informed and ongoing consent process with children and young people in research practice.