Children's Health Research Charter Launched by Faculty of Paediatrics

Dr Judith Meehan, Dean of the Faculty of Paediatrics launched a new Infant and Children’s Health Research Charter during the faculty’s Autumn Conference on Friday, 3 October at No. 6 Kildare Street.

The Charter is designed to help children, families and caregivers, and health professionals, to have informed conversations about child health research. This important piece of work was developed by the Research Committee of the Faculty of Paediatrics in consultation with young people. 

Speaking at the conference, Dr Meehan said, “This Charter can support open, clear conversations with families and caregivers about child health research, to ensure everyone understands what the research involves, when it takes place, and why it is valuable. I hope that this Charter empowers all of you as paediatricans and health researchers, and firmly puts the child right at the centre of the research process.”

Using the letters C-H-I-L-D-R-E-N, the charter outlines eight principals for best practice research involving children and infants.

C – Consent & Care: Ask for my consent and prioritise care

H – Honesty: Make sure my family, caregivers and I understand the research and answer all our questions honestly

I – Inclusivity: Commit to including children from all backgrounds, abilities and ethnicities with equal importance

L – Listening: Listen to my views, value my voice and make sure I am involved throughout the journey.

D – Dignity: Help me understand my rights.

R – Responsibility: Keep me safe by engaging in responsible research and include my family and care givers so that they are informed and can support me.

E – Empathy: Approaching research with understanding and sensitivity to my concerns or questions.

N – Neutral: Ensure the research is fair.

The Charter was created in collaboration with children, young people, and healthcare professionals.

“Collaboration and drawing insights from a young person’s perspective was vital to this piece of work and I believe we are all very proud of what we have achieved,” Dr Meehan said.

Mia Healy Duggan was a member of the National Young Person’s Advisory Group (YPAG), established by Children's Health Ireland CHI and In4kids to empower young voices to help shape child health research in Ireland. Ms Healy Duggan said: "I had a brilliant time working on the Charter with YPAG. I loved how they listened to our ideas and it was amazing seeing the final version of the poster. It looks awesome!!!"

This charter is intended for use nationally by healthcare professionals involved in healthcare research with children.