Thank you for your interest in this project.
My name is Martina. I am a nurse, and I work at University College Dublin. I am doing a project to find out what children think we should be teaching student nurses about how to talk and listen to children.
We would like to invite your child to take part in a research project. The aim of this project is to help future children’s nurses learn how to communicate better with children and young people and we think it is important that children have a say in this.
Before you decide if you are happy for your child to take part, it is important that you understand why the project is being done and what it will involve. Take time to read the information that follows carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. If anything is unclear or you would like more information, please contact Martina Kennedy, lead researcher at childnursingresearch@gmail.com.
What is this project about?
We're inviting children and young people to help us understand what nurses need to learn to communicate with young patients. We want to learn from children and young people about their experiences of communication and what they believe is important for children's nurses to know. We will use this information to create a communication skills module to teach to student nurses in universities.
Who is doing this project?
This is part of a PhD project being led by Martina Kennedy, a registered General and Children’s nurse who is currently an Assistant Lecturer in Children’s Nursing at University College Dublin. She is being supervised by Professor Lucy Bray, Dr. Holly Saron and Dr. Louca-Mai Brady. Children and young people, including some from this school, also helped us to design this project.
Why is my child being asked to take part?
With your child’s school agreeing to participate in this project, we are inviting your child to take part. We are interested in speaking with children from every class group in the school.
Does my child have to take part?
No. It is completely up to you and your child if they take part in this project. Your child doesn't have to join this project if they don't want to. It's their choice. If you decide your child shouldn't take part, or if your child simply doesn't want to, just let their teacher know before the activities take place. They will continue their regular class activities, just like on any normal school day.
What will my child be asked to do?
Your child and their classmates will join Martina in engaging activities where they’ll use animated images, sticky notes and drawing to talk about communication.
They’ll explore topics like:
What communication is.
The different ways we communicate (beyond just words, like body language or facial expressions).
What communication skills should nurses have.
What good and not-so-good communication looks and feels like.
Your child’s ideas are really important and will help us design communication training for student nurses who work with children and young people. The activities will take 45 – 50 minutes and will take place during lesson time. We will audio-record the discussions to make sure we remember everyone’s ideas.
At the beginning of the workshop your child will be asked if they are still happy to take part. If they decide they don’t want to, a teacher will return them to their regular class activities without them needing to say why. A teacher will remain in the classroom for the entire time the activities are taking place.
What are my choices about how my child’s information is used?
Your child's involvement in this project will be completely anonymous and confidential. We will not collect any information that could tell us who your child is or what class they are in. If your child shares any details that could identify them, this information will not be recorded in our notes.
Before the activities, we'll ask you to sign a consent form saying it's okay for your child to take part. Then, just before we start, we'll also ask your child if they are happy to join in (we call this assent). It's important to know that once your child shares their ideas in the activities, we won't be able to pick out their words or drawings later on. This is because their ideas will be mixed in with everyone else's and it would be hard to separate them.
All the information from this project will be kept very secure on the Edge Hill University’s online storage. Only the research team can look at it, and it will be kept for 10 years before being safely removed. Don't worry, any personal details you shared, such as your child’s name and class will be deleted as soon as the project is complete.
We would like to use the information your child provides in future studies and to share it with other researchers for ethically approved research projects. After the study, the anonymised data will be stored securely and made available to other researchers under controlled conditions on the understanding that confidentiality will be maintained.
What are the possible benefits or disadvantages of taking part?
We hope your child enjoys taking part in this project. We believe their ideas can help shape and improve how communication skills are taught to student children’s nurses.
While we do not think there are any disadvantages for your child in taking part, we understand that sometimes it might be upsetting to think about previous healthcare experiences. We will be there to offer support, along with their teacher. The principal will also be available if needed.
Will my child’s participation be confidential?
To ensure your child's privacy, their involvement in this study will be completely anonymous and confidential. We will not collect any information that could tell us who your child is or what class they are in. If your child shares any details that could identify them, this information will not be recorded in our notes.
Please be aware that the only situations in which we will have to break confidentiality are if a participant shares information indicating a risk of harm to themselves or others. If this occurs, we will need to share this information with the principal and relevant professionals outside the research team. We will always aim to inform you before taking such action. As registered healthcare professionals, the research team has a professional responsibility to act, and the specific action taken would depend on the nature of the disclosure potentially including reporting to the relevant professional body.
Data Protection Notice
We follow the GDPR rules and the law called the Data Protection Act (2018) which set out rules for how we must handle, process, store and destroy data. The data for this study will be processed on the legal basis of being in the public interest. At Edge Hill University, we are committed to respecting and protecting your personal information and that all data collected is used fairly, stored safely, and not disclosed to any other person unlawfully.
Certain individuals from the University and regulatory organisations may look at your anonymised research records to check the accuracy of the research study. The people who analyse the information will not be able to identify you and will not be able to find out your name or contact details. To find out more about how we protect your data and contact details for our Data Protection Officer, please see https://www.edgehill.ac.uk/about/legal/privacy. The University is a data controller and, in some instances, may be a data processor of this data.
What will happen to the results of this project?
We'll share what we learn from this project with your child's school, giving them valuable insights into how children like to be spoken with. We plan to write articles that will help us share our ideas with other healthcare professionals and organisations. All the information we collect will have your child's name and any personal information removed, and this anonymised data will be included in a PhD thesis, which will be available online. After the project finishes, we'd like to share this information as "open data," meaning other researchers can use it for new studies or learning, but no one will be able to tell who your child is from this information.
Who has reviewed the study?
The study has been reviewed and approved by Edge Hill University Health-related Research Ethics Committee (EHU Ref: ETH2425-0280)
What do I do if I have questions or would like my child to take part?
If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact Martina Kennedy at childnursingresearch@gmail.com.
To give consent for your child to take part, please complete and submit the online consent form below. After you have given consent, your child also needs to agree to take part. If they are under the age of 16 years, they will be asked to complete an assent form. This gives them the chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ themselves and lets us know they understand what’s involved and are happy to join. They can complete their assent form below. If your child is 16 years or older, they can complete a consent form, also found below.
Is there someone independent I can talk to about the research or if there is a problem?
If you are unhappy with the research in any way please tell us. We will try to put things right. If you would prefer to talk to someone outside the research team, or if you are not happy with the way we deal with your problem, you can contact the Chair and Secretary of the Health Research Ethics Committee on HREC@edgehill.ac.uk.
Thank you for taking the time to read this information.
M. Kennedy (25102826) - Improving Nurse Communication - Parent Information Sheet (Secondary School Long) Version 2 - 07/08/2025, EHU Ref: ETH2425-0280