Research with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children should aim to incorporate these important principles of practice that can better enable children’s participation and maintain their safety during the research process: Trauma informed: informed: Trauma-informed research understands trauma and its impact on individuals, families and communal groups and creates environments in which children feel physically and emotionally safe (see Atkinson, 2013; Wall, Higgins, & Hunter, 2016). In particular, researchers must understand the intergenerational trauma that exists for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples that has been caused by colonisation and subsequent social policies. An understanding of, and sensitivity to, widespread child removal policies are particularly relevant when research is taking place on family violence. Researchers will also need to be skilled in identifying, acknowledging and helping children to manage strong emotions and in supporting their connections to safe family and community members, culture and country. This means building-in approaches that support and scaffold research tasks for children and do not have unrealistic expectations of them. Researchers may also need to collaborate with professionals who are experienced in providing therapeutic support for children and their families and who can help you support children, families and communities during and after the research. Rights based: based: The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007 (the Declaration) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 (that outlines children’s right to provision, protection and participation) must be upheld in all research process and interactions. Child-friendly: Being child-friendly means acknowledging and addressing the normative power dynamic and relationship between adults and children to ensure a more equitable sharing of power during the research process. This is best done by providing appropriate choice and control to children throughout all stages of the research. This will include finding or developing innovative and creative methods that can recognise children’s ages and developmental stage, individual capacities, interests and strengths and build capacity to enable their full and meaningful participation in research. Relationships based: based: A relationship of trust sits at the heart of effective communication and research with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children. Researchers must invest time to establish trusting, empathic, respectful, genuine and optimistic relationships with children, their families and communities. Children should always be offered support – before, during and after – their involvement in research. Culturally safe: safe: Researchers should have an approach that values Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander history, culture, traditional lore, beliefs, values, custom, while recognising the cultural and individual diversity that exists within and across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Culture is a central and key protective factor for children that also support families to be free from violence. Researchers should adopt processes, resources and tools that respect cultural identity and assist children to (re)discover and recover cultural knowledge and (re)claim culture as a strength.

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