The legal mandate of the HSPC is to protect the rights and welfare of human subjects. This task becomes more difficult when considering children and minors as research subjects.
Parental permission is required in most circumstances for the participation of children in research.
Investigators are required to gain parental permission from at least one of the child's parents or guardians if the research involves only minimal risk. If the research poses more than minimal risk but may directly benefit the child, only one of the child's parents or guardian need give permission. The investigator is not required to gain permission form both parents, if one of the parents is not reasonably available, deceased, unknown, legally incompetent, or from a parent who does not have legal responsibility for the care and custody of the child. This caveat does not exempt the investigator from obtaining the permission from at least one parent who has legal responsibility for the child. The HSPCs are required to make additional considerations for the inclusion of children in research who are wards of the state or any other agency or institution.