0-18 years guidance: Research

1. 36. Research¹⁶ involving children and young people can benefit all children; but they may be vulnerable because they cannot always recognise their best interests, express their needs or defend their rights.
2. 37. Children or young people should be involved in research only when research on adults cannot provide the same benefits. They can be involved in research that has either:
   1. a. potential benefits for children or young people generally, as long as the research does not go against their best interests or involves only minimal or low risk of harm (this would be research that involves, for example, asking questions or taking blood samples, the assessment of the risk depending on the view of the child or young person), or
   2. b. potential therapeutic benefits for them that outweigh any foreseeable risks, which should be kept as low as possible.
3. 38. Children and young people should not usually be involved in research if they object or appear to object in either words or actions, even if their parents consent. If they are able to consent for themselves, you should still consider involving their parents, depending on the nature of the research.¹⁷
4. 39. You must not put pressure on children, young people or their parents to consent to research in the expectation of therapeutic, financial or any other benefit.
5. 40. Before involving children or young people in research, you should seek advice and get the necessary approval from a relevant research ethics committee, the Medical Research Council¹⁸ or a medical royal college.¹⁹

For further information see GMC guidance on research.