Responsibility without infrastructure: critical safeguarding gaps in United Kingdom research with children and young people

Safeguarding is a well-established component of statutory systems within the United Kingdom, including health, education and social care, where it is supported through legislation, governance structures, training requirements and multi-agency working. As research increasingly involves direct engagement with children and young people through research participation, co-production and patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) activities, safeguarding responsibilities within research have become increasingly important. However, the extent to which safeguarding is conceptualized, operationalized and supported within research contexts remains unclear. This study examined the extent to which existing United Kingdom legislation, governance frameworks and practice guidance provide consistent and coherent safeguarding expectations for research involving children and young people. A structured narrative review and critical policy analysis were undertaken. Searches of Google Scholar and key United Kingdom research governance, safeguarding and policy organizations identified literature, legislation, statutory guidance, governance frameworks and professional guidance relevant to safeguarding in research involving children and young people. Twenty documents met the inclusion criteria and were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Analysis identified five overarching themes: (1) research is insufficiently integrated within safeguarding systems; (2) safeguarding governance within research is fragmented and inconsistent; (3) legal, consent and vetting frameworks create inconsistent safeguarding expectations; (4) researchers are expected to manage safeguarding concerns without consistent competency requirements; and (5) safeguarding guidance has not kept pace with participatory research and PPIE. Across the reviewed documents, safeguarding responsibilities were increasingly recognized, but expectations relating to safeguarding governance, vetting, training, accountability and integration with statutory safeguarding systems varied substantially. Safeguarding within United Kingdom research is fragmented and insufficiently supported when compared with statutory sectors. Researchers working with children and young people are often expected to manage safeguarding responsibilities without consistent training, vetting arrangements or access to established safeguarding systems. Developing clearer safeguarding standards, proportionate competency expectations, stronger integration with existing safeguarding structures and more comprehensive guidance for participatory research may improve consistency and strengthen protections for children and young people involved in research.