ABSTRACT
Much of the literature assumes that the 'users' are adults. However, children are also users of palliative care services. The chapter describes an innovative way of combining a popular artistic medium with work with children dealing with parental illness. It shows the reality of collaborative work by using a number of 'voices' to tell the story from different perspectives. Three things stand out clearly from this example of working creatively with young users. First, video was an excellent medium to use. It was contemporary–attractive to children and 'cool'; it was powerful–effective in getting a message across to viewers; it was immediate–children were able to review what they had just filmed and get immediate feedback. Secondly, young people–the co-researchers were aged 7 to 15–may be more competent, confident and articulate than most adults are willing to recognise. Thirdly, user involvement is not an easy option; it is hard, skilled work and requires time for planning and reflection as well as action.
