Focus group information for parents

The Youthscape Centre for Research is running focus groups to understand what life is like for young people today, and how churches might need to change, to include them.

What is this research about?

Hi, I’m Dr Lucie Shuker and I am the Director of Research at Youthscape, a Christian charity that develops and shares resources with the wider Church.

What does it mean for my child to be involved?

We are inviting groups of 14-18-year-olds across England to help us reflect on research about youth culture and Christian faith (though they don't have to be religious themselves to take part).

The focus group will be facilitated by me, along with their youth worker. It will be an opportunity for your child to share their experiences and to talk about the wider cultural issues affecting them. We expect each focus group to take 90 mins to two hours in total, with a break. As a thank you for taking part, we will offer your young person a £10 voucher per focus group session they attend.

The information the young people share with us will be used to write a report. It may also be used in future publications, such as articles or books. If we use any quotes from children and young people, these will be reported anonymously, so no one will know that your young person took part. For more information about the research, here's the page we're sending to young people who are interested in taking part, and which links to a form they need to fill out, to give their consent to participate.

If your child is 16, 17 or 18 we don't need anything more from you.

If they are 14 or 15, we need your permission for them to participate, so please consider filling out the consent form below.

How do I know it's been well thought through?

The design of this study has been reviewed by the Youthscape Research Advisory Board, and an ethical protocol has been approved by the Youthscape Centre for Research Ethics Committee. This provides a framework for how we conduct and report the research, including how we take an ethical approach to doing research with children under 18. If you would like us to send you a copy of this ethical protocol or have any other questions please email lucie.shuker@youthscape.co.uk.

I'm happy to give consent

If you're happy for your child to take part, please fill in the form below (if it isn't showing, follow this link). Once that's complete, we'll be in touch with their youth worker about the next steps.