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This article draws on the authors' experiences of undertaking health and social research involving children in Australia and England and focuses on securing the informed consent of children to participate in such research. A clear trend within literature, service provision, legislation and international conventions recognizes children as "active beings" in all aspects of their lives. The services that are the focus of the research and evaluation projects in which the authors have been involved sought to empower children as active agents and decision-makers. Crucially, not only were these services available directly to children without requiring parental permission, but many children were also accessing these services without their parents' knowledge. However, when it came to researching and evaluating users experiences of these services, the authors faced the problem that existing research gate keeping systems tended to construct children as dependent, in need of protection and as "human becomings." The authors found that research ethics committees would permit the research to take place only if both the child's informed consent and that of his or her parents was obtained. The authors outline the implications of such dilemmas, which may not only be counter productive in terms of research objectives but also risk failing to afford children rightful regard in contemporary society. While the authors conclude that there are no quick fixes to the resolution of such dilemmas, they believe that researchers need to engage with the gatekeepers of research to ensure that the laudable effort to protect potentially vulnerable participants avoids over protection, paternalism and the further disenfranchisement of already marginalized young people. (Contains 2 notes.)

Identifies different approaches to exchanging genetic origins information in third party assisted conception. Critiques the model currently in force in the United Kingdom and advocates its replacement by a system that more closely resembles that introduced in Victoria, Australia in 1988. (Author/KB)

Notes major new legislation on services for children. Examines resulting challenges facing social work practice in relation to educational social work issues and children in public care. Argues that traditional social work services for children are threatened by the delivery of welfare designed under notions of a market economy and that they add to disadvantage for children. (DR)

Analyzes existing evidence and identifies remaining gaps in knowledge concerning the exclusion of British children from school for disruptive behavior. The authors argue that an adequate understanding of exclusion from school can be achieved only by viewing it within the wider debate on social control and civic exclusion. (SLD)

This qualitative study sought to provide an in-depth understanding of the experiences of couples who have relinquished their stored frozen embryos to one or more infertile couples. All couples were [...]

This article considers two key policy documents concerning donor-assisted conception in the UK, The British Fertility Society's Recommendations for Good Practice on the Screening of Egg and Embryo Donors and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Guidance for Egg Sharing Arrangements. It discusses both the process and the evidence used in formulating those sections of the documents which relate to donor anonymity. The paper concludes that psycho-social policy developments in assisted conception, such as those relating to donor anonymity, should be subjected to comparable levels of rigour and scrutiny to those that are applied in the formulation of medical and scientific policies. Keywords: Human fertilisation and embryology authority; British fertility society; Donor anonymity; Egg sharing; UK