ABSTRACT
Children are experts on their experiences, their lives and what concerns their well-being. Nonetheless, many researchers tend to neglect integrating children directly in the research process. Despite many fine social studies of childhood that work with children, research on/with children is still very adult-centred. This chapter assesses the opportunities and challenges faced in inviting children to participate centrally in a research project. We show that by trusting in children’s own expertise and giving up some control in the research encounter, children become involved in the project in different ways, become de facto researchers themselves. This, in turn, fosters children’s well-being in two ways: the enjoyment of collaborating; and potentially enhanced insights available for policy through gaining a deeper understanding of children’s worlds.
