Rights-based narrative research with children and young people conducted over time

Narrative research conducted over time creates opportunities for the co-creation of knowledge about the lived experience of children and young people as they grow and change. This article revisits two Australian studies with young people confronted by difficult mental health and welfare circumstances who have been successfully engaged in narrative research over substantial periods of time. Rights-based critique of these studies from a collective standpoint of inclusion, participation, empowerment and advocacy illustrates both opportunity and challenge. A set of research principles is distilled from this critique to inform rights-based longitudinal narrative studies with children and young people.