Doing It Justice

A comprehensive resource applying ethical values in working creatively with care-experienced children and young people.

This resource provides a values framework, practical guidance, and case studies for ethical participatory arts practice when working with care-experienced children and young people.

Overview

Edited by Stella Barnes and published by A New Direction, the guide aims to embed ethical values into creative work, translate values into tangible actions, and support practitioners to work in trauma-informed, inclusive ways.

Core Ethical Framework

The document is structured around five value pillars:

• Safety, Care & Love – Creating environments with high adult-to-child ratios, warm welcomes, secure spaces, strong listening culture, and robust safeguarding
• Choice, Agency & Ownership – Moving young people from recipients to partners through co-creation, youth-led design, and collaborative theme development
• Trust, Respect & Understanding – Recognising that trust is a journey earned slowly through reliability and accommodation of individual needs
• Justice, Advocacy & Rights – Foregrounding children's rights, including experts by experience in design, and supporting self-advocacy through art
• Reflection & Learning – Embedding practitioner journaling, session debriefs, peer reflection, and continuous training