Which ages and circumstances are included?
Read the study’s actual age range and criteria, then ask the official team about the invitation. A child, adolescent or family label is not an eligibility decision. NIMH’s children’s research listings describe different populations and activities; they should not be treated as a single programme open to every family or as local availability.
How will the young person understand the proposal?
Ask for explanations suited to the young person’s understanding, time for questions and support that helps their own voice be heard. Ask what each activity involves and how a difficulty can be raised. Understanding should not be inferred simply from age or diagnosis. The team should explain its approach for that study and setting.
Which agreement and permission process applies?
In the U.S. HHS framework, current 45 CFR 46.408 distinguishes children’s assent and parental or guardian permission, with study-specific determinations and exceptions. This is not a universal age or signature rule. Ask the responsible team which local framework applies, who needs to be involved and how the young person’s agreement or objection is handled.
What would the family have to organise?
Request the full calendar, school-day implications, travel and any home activities. Clarify whether the parent is providing transport, answering research questions or participating independently. Ask what support can actually be offered and who bears responsibility for each task. Do not assume a family invitation means every relative joins or sees the same information.
How are privacy and communication explained?
Ask what the young person is told, what parents or guardians receive, how private questions are handled and which limits apply. French CNIL guidance stresses information adapted for minors and notes context-specific provisions; it is not a blanket promise of identical access. Ask the team to explain current rules rather than borrowing another country’s arrangement.
What if age or circumstances change?
Ask how the team revisits information, agreement, permissions and follow-up when understanding, health, care arrangements or legal status changes. Do not assume the initial documents settle every later situation. Keep a verified clinical contact and the next confirmed appointment. Questions about staying in the study belong with the responsible team, not an online age checklist.