Ethical practice compels evaluators to obtain informed consent from evaluation participants. When those participants are minors, parental consent is routinely sought. However, seeking parental consent may not be appropriate in all evaluation contexts. This practice note presents one context (mental health services research in rural Canada
Mots clés : capacité, consentement éclairé, jeunesEthical practice compels evaluators to obtain informed consent from evaluation participants. When those participants are minors, parental consent is routinely sought. However, some practitioners have highlighted the need to think critically about that practice, arguing that parental consent is not appropriate in all contexts. This practice note describes one such context and offers an alternative for evaluators to consider when involving youth in evaluation. The project context is described and the informed consent literature is briefly reviewed, emphasizing critiques of the parental consent requirement. The "capacity-to-consent" protocol that was used to obtain consent from youth participants (without parental consent) is then described, followed by a discussion of the protocol and its implications for evaluation practice.
CONTExT
The NorthBEAT ProjectNorthBEAT (Barriers to Early Assessment and Treatment) is a study that assessed the mental health service needs of youth 1 in Northern Ontario who experience psychosis. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, which included two types of interviews with youth who had experienced psychosis: (1) semi-structured (qualitative) interviews explored participants' help-seeking and mental health service experiences, as well as their perceptions of how services could be improved; (2) structured interviews collected quantitative data to assess participants' symptoms and functional status.Participants were recruited from across Northern Ontario, through agencies where they received services for a severe mental illness; participants were between 13 and 21 years of age. Given the age of the participants, we initially planned to seek parental consent for their participation. Upon reflection, however, the project context caused us to question the appropriateness of seeking parental consent.
Concerns about seeking parental consent for youth participation in NorthBEAT
Ethical concernsParticipants were recruited from mental health service agencies where they were accessing service for psychosis. Many youth in this region-especially Indigenous youth-do not live in the same location as their parents because they attend school outside of their communities. Some youth seek treatment while living away from their communities. Or, in some cases, their parents do not know the extent of their mental health issues. Requiring parental consent threatened to minimize youth's right to privacy with respect to their health information.
Practical concernsParticipants were recruited from 10 programs across Northern Ontario. This is a region with a vast geography and scarce population; many residents live in ru...
