I’m Raj and I am a Red Panda who just loves research. I am going to help you find out what research is and how you can take part in it.
Research is what we do when we don’t know something about your care, and we want to learn about it. So, research might be trying to find out if talking to us about your feelings helps you feel less worried. Or we might ask you what you like and don’t like about your care so we can make it better.
We might even have a new type of care to offer you as well to see if it is more helpful. So, research is all about YOU!
The big thing to know about research is: You don’t have to take part if you don’t want to. You can take your time to think about if you want to take part as well.
If you take part, you can also change your mind at any time and stop if you don’t like it.
By Gabrielle Abotsie (age 10)
If you do want to take part in research, this is what happens
We will talk to you and the people who care for you, like your mum or dad, to find out more about you. Then we do our best to find research which is just as special as you are. And as you are very special, this might take some time. You can ask as many questions as you like and when you like. It’s really important to us that you feel happy and safe about taking part in research.
When we have found the right research for you, we will come and see you. This can be at your house, in your garden, at school or you can come to see us! Sometimes we will even be able to speak to you by video call! We will tell you about the research and what we will do together to find out what we don’t know. We will ask you if you want to take part and we will ask mum or dad or the people who care for you as well.
Only you, the people who care for you, us and your doctor or nurse will know you are taking part. We do not tell your friends or anyone else unless you want us to.
We will ask you some questions about if you are feeling happy or sad or nervous or scared and if you like your care or not
We then find out from lots of other children if they feel the same as you. That way we know if something is really good and if it works.
Because your help is really important, you will get a special certificate saying that you are an awesome researcher.