From Idea to Impact: Why We Created the Child Research Ethics Group (CREG)
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
It’s exciting to create something new, especially when it responds to a real and urgent gap.
Over five years ago, before the world changed so dramatically, colleagues at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and I began a small participatory study with child domestic workers in Myanmar. It was a meaningful piece of work, grounded in collaboration with children whose voices are too often unheard.
Then everything shifted.
The military coup in Myanmar disrupted lives and communities. Soon after, the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped how we could work, connect, and carry out research. Like many others, we had to pause, reflect, and ultimately re-imagine what our project could become.
Out of that uncertainty, something bigger emerged.
The work evolved into the ETHYCS research project - a multi-country study exploring research ethics in Indonesia, Nepal, Kenya, and Guyana. Through this process, and particularly during conversations with our research partners, a clear and pressing gap came into focus.
We realised that when NGOs undertake research, especially participatory or action research with children, there are very few accessible systems to support ethical review. Traditional structures like Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are often unavailable, or not designed with NGO-led, child-focused research in mind. Where ethics committees do exist, they may not fully grasp the complex realities of safeguarding and ethics when working with marginalised children.
This gap matters.
Ethical research is not just a procedural requirement - it is fundamental to protecting children, respecting their agency, and ensuring that research does no harm.
And so, the Child Research Ethics Group (CREG) was born.
CREG emerged through a shared recognition of this need, alongside colleagues at Family for Every Child and Terre des Hommes Netherlands, who were independently identifying the same challenges. Together, we saw an opportunity to create something practical, responsive, and grounded in the realities of NGO work with children.
CREG aims to provide accessible, thoughtful ethical support for organisations conducting research with children - particularly those working in complex and under-resourced contexts. It is designed to bridge the gap between formal academic ethics processes and the everyday realities of NGO-led research.
To learn more about CREG, explore resources, and take the next step, visit our dedicated page on the Changemakers for Children platform:
Whether you’re looking for guidance or ready to move forward, you can also submit a proposal for ethical review and support through the platform.
We’ve also created a short video to introduce CREG and explain what it can offer - please take a moment to watch and find out more.
Comments