A couple of weeks ago I uploaded a post on here about my concerns around the potential ethical considerations of speaking with autistic students at the CareTrade UK facility in London.
Immediately after writing my last blog post on this matter, I contacted Mark Finch, head of education and learning at the charity to ask if parents/guardians had been informed of my visit to their facility in Elephant & Castle, and if I had their full permission to speak to certain students.
This has been on my mind for a while now and ahead of my visit next Thursday, I decided it would be the right time to call Mark to confirm their involvement and to also discuss where I stand in regard to publicising the student voices.
Much to my delight, Mark had spoken to the other executive team leaders at CareTrade after my email and selected individual students who he believed would be most appropriate for me to talk to, also contacting their parents/guardians to receive full permission for them to take part in the documentary.
I'm really delighted with this news as not only can I now make the most of my day with CareTrade but I'll be able to gain a more rounded perspective on the work that they do by speaking to example case studies who use the services. It'll also mean that I'll be able to work well within the BBC editorial guidelines; something I was inherently concerned about breaching.
I'm really excited about this opportunity and I feel like it'll be instrumental to the final project.
More to follow.