Building Better Futures

The Research Institute with Children at King’s

Childhood should be a time to laugh, learn, dream, play, and wonder - a time when children are surrounded by love and the resources they need to reach their full potential. However, many Canadian children do not experience childhood this way. According to UNICEF, Canada ranks 30 th among 38 rich countries in the well-being of children and youth.

Now, King’s has the opportunity to be at the forefront of children’s participatory rights and advancing children’s well-being thanks to a Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) Innovation Fund Award. This funding will allow for the development of the Research Institute with Children (RIC), one of the first of its kind in Canada, which will be built specifically to accommodate innovative child-centred approaches to research with children.

Dr. Cathy Chovaz, Professor of Psychology at Kings, Adjunct Research Professor with the Western University’s Department of Psychiatry, Director of the King’s Centre of Deaf Education & Accessibility Forum (CDEAF) and Associate Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and Dr. Rachel Birnbaum, Distinguished University Professor Emerita in Social Work and Child and Youth Studies, are the project leaders, and they will work with an interdisciplinary team of scholars, clinicians, academics, and practitioners.

“Each of the researchers in our group has specific, diverse research agendas that will be supported in the RIC,” says Dr. Chovaz. The team will be involved with children and their families, conducting research that will improve socio-economic and psychological outcomes and benefits for children across Canada. “This will be a unique opportunity to engage with children about their needs,” says Dr. Birnbaum.

The RIC will be a purpose-built space designed to help children feel safe, respected, and heard. It will be home to a range of innovative interdisciplinary research projects conducted by a team of scholars in partnership with organizations and institutions worldwide, using a variety of research methods designed to include children. The research will be shared widely with practitioners and policymakers, helping to transform policy and practice that will improve the lives of children and their families and build better support systems and institutions.

In March, the RIC received an additional boost thanks to the Ontario Research Fund – Large Infrastructure Fund (ORFLIF). Along with the CFI Innovation Fund and a contribution from King’s, the total funding to date for the RIC is $1,054,264.

“This important and invaluable funding opportunity provides children and youth with a voice that allows them to share their stories in an environment that is inclusive and respectful of their needs and wishes,” says Dr. Birnbaum. “Rarely does research focus on, and bring together, the views and experiences of children. We want to change that to ensure that children feel very much involved and are collaborating with researchers.”

Dr. Chovaz adds, “We, along with our colleagues, are very excited and honoured to share our collaboration with and for children.”