Working with children and young people in research: Supportive practices and pathways to impact

This review examined the involvement of children and young people as partners in health research. The study identified 15 reports from electronic databases and reference lists, which described the nature of involvement, contributions made by young people, and the impact of their involvement. The findings revealed that the meaningful involvement of children and young people had several positive outcomes. These included influencing research, generating valuable outputs, changing researchers' attitudes, fostering a sense of achievement among young people, and building fulfilling relationships. The study highlighted the importance of following key principles such as building relationships over time, offering flexibility, providing training, and utilizing youth-appropriate methods to enable impactful involvement. Ultimately, meaningful engagement with young people necessitates processes that respect their preferences and activities that facilitate their expression of views.