Ethically, social work researchers should bring about good for research respondents. Referring to the work of other researchers who support beneficent research, this article describes an activity that can bring about such good: the identification and reporting of possible service gaps affecting research respondents. I identified this activity during a pilot qualitative study of children’s views regarding foster care. Specifically, interview transcript analysis highlighted comments suggesting unanticipated questions about services children received. Because of its characteristic methods of obtaining and analyzing data, qualitative research seems particularly likely to raise such unanticipated questions. Despite fear of jeopardizing future research possibilities, I raised the unanticipated questions about services at the agency. I aimed to enable the agency to address the questions, thereby helping children. In this case impact on agency services was slight. Nonetheless, the researcher’s obligation to report possible service gaps at agencies providing research samples was underscored.

Prior to writing this article, the two authors (Bogolub, US and Thomas, UK) conducted separate qualitative research studies with foster children. After briefly describing their individual studies, the two authors engage in a cross-cultural dialogue based on their differing perspectives on the importance of birth parent consent for foster children's research participation. The authors' differences appear largely, although not exclusively, related to contrasts between a US academic culture, which often stresses the fiduciary relationship between parents and developing children, and a UK academic culture, which places more emphasis on children's competence and independence. Conclusions center on the importance of cross-cultural dialogue as a way to promote considered decisions about the overlapping methodological and ethical questions that inevitably arise when doing research with children, particularly those involved with the child welfare system. KEY WORDS: birth parents cross-cultural foster children informed consent research ethics ARTICLE

During a pilot qualitative study about children's views of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations, the problem for study broadened to include children's views of the transition to foster care generally. Findings indicated that (1) the CPS investigation was not an emotionally charged topic for these respondents, and (2) respondents were ambivalent about foster care, liking many aspects while also missing birth parents. Respondents (most in care for the first time) were in care for nonemergency reasons, and for brief periods (1 to 5 months). These circumstances may have influenced the findings. In some cases, videotape supplemented audiotape of research interviews. Videotape proved useful, but not necessary to establish findings. Implications for research, practice, and policy are provided.

In a public child welfare agency, 6 respondents were recruited for a pilot study about foster children's transitions from birth homes to out-of-home care. During recruitment, knowledge was gained about the acquisition of informed consent for foster children's research participation, a topic about which there is remarkably little prior literature. In addition to being a necessity for research enactment, consent acquisition is a multifaceted process involving complex relationships with colleagues, potential respondents, and their birth and foster parents. Four detailed vignettes each illustrate a consent issue. With reference to each vignette, suggestions are made for researchers' sensitive, ethical, planful consent acquisition. Implications for agency-based professionals are offered, as are ideas for future study of consent acquisition.