NorthBEAT’s Capacity-to-Consent Protocol for Obtaining Informed Consent from Youth Evaluation Participants

An Alternative to Parental Consent

Authors

  • Shevaun Nadin St. Joseph’s Care Group & Lakehead University
  • Mae Katt Lakehead University
  • Carolyn Dewa University of California, Davis
  • Chiachen Cheng St. Joseph’s Care Group & Northern Ontario School of Medicine

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.31143

Keywords:

capacity, informed consent, youth

Abstract

Ethical practice compels evaluators to obtain informed consent from evaluation participants. When those participants are minors, parental consent is routinely sought. However, seeking parental consent may not be appropriate in all evaluation contexts. This practice note presents one context (mental health services research in rural Canada) where seeking parental consent for youths’ participation in research was considered unethical and unfeasible. We present a two-step “capacity-to-consent” protocol that we developed to obtain consent from youth participants. This protocol offers an ethical and feasible alternative to seeking parental consent for youth. The implications for evaluation practice are discussed.

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Published

2018-01-21

How to Cite

Nadin, S., Katt, M., Dewa, C., & Cheng, C. (2018). NorthBEAT’s Capacity-to-Consent Protocol for Obtaining Informed Consent from Youth Evaluation Participants: An Alternative to Parental Consent. Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 33(1), 135–153. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjpe.31143

Issue

Vol. 33 No. 1 (2018): Spring

Section

Research and Practice Notes

License

Copyright (c) 2018 Shevaun Nadin, Mae Katt, Carolyn Dewa, Chiachen Cheng

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