“God, she’s gonna report me” : the ethics of child protection in poverty research

Abstract

The ethics of social research with children has been the source of considerable debate. In particular, issues of how to address potential disclosures of child abuse have been highlighted. What ethical implications are raised, however, when children are the indirect focus of the research? This paper explores the ethical dilemmas of conducting research with mothers about their experiences of caring for children. It is based on qualitative research with 30 mothers on low incomes. The paper concludes that strategies to tackle structural disadvantage as well as those that take account of individual risk are key features of future child welfare.