This contribution aims to reflect, starting from a narrative literature review (Bourhis,2017) on the potential and critical issues offered by photography as a research tool with children. In the field of research with children in recent decades, the UNCRC has pioneered what can be conceptualised as a rights-based approach to the study of children (Garcia-Quiroga, M., & Agoglia,2020), in which participatory approaches should be applied (Bradbury-Jones, 2014;). This has led to a recognition of children as social actors in their own right (O’Hara&Higgins, 2019). In particular, General Comment No. 12 of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (2009),  mentions the need, when referring especially to young children, to value non-verbal forms of communication – that allow children to express their choices, preferences and demonstrate understanding – including use of artistic languages.

Visual images have played a role in different disciplinary fields, from drawings in early medical books to photographs in visual anthropology ( Collier&Collier, 1986). In the field of education, photography has been widely used as a visual archive (Holm,2014: 382) concerning spaces (Grosvenor et Al, 2004), schools, and the marginalised (Devlieger et Al., 2008). Over the last few decades, however, there has been a gradual increase in the use of this tool, particularly in research with children (Clark, 2005; Prosser&Burke,2008). It is possible to distinguish three types of materials in research using photography: photographs taken by the researcher, photographs taken by the participants and the use of existing photographs (Holm, 2014).

This contribution is part of a larger doctoral project, a qualitative research that intends to explore the lived experience of children in alternative care, in inhabiting the spaces of residential care homes.

It will primarily focus on what is identified in the literature as "Participant photography". Participatory photography (Clover, 2006; Daniels, 2003) is a visual method in which research participants are encouraged, using photography, to visually document their social landscapes (Allen,2012: 443). Photography provides the basis to reflect and generate personal narratives. This technique can be particularly powerful for human populations whose voice has been historically marginalised (Wang, 2003). Furthermore, children in alternative care are more likely to be excluded from participatory projects. Other relevant examples are Photovoice (Wang,2003;), Photo Elicitation Interview (Collier, 1957; Harper, 2002) and Mosaic Approach (Clark,2005), a multimodal approach that also allows photography. 

Children, in producing visual material, and thus representations, become co-participants in the production of knowledge, and promote a sense of ownership to the study, also balancing the power between participants and researchers (O’Hara et Al., 2019). This can lead to the "overturning" of more traditional research approaches - focused on verbal and text form - and characterised by an adult-centred perspective (Semec, 2018). 

Photography can help to capture the everyday and lived experience of childhood or adolescence, often promoting children and young people as the subjects at the centre of research (O'Hara&Higgins, 2019). It represents a potentially flexible and inclusive process for their expression, meeting a variety of needs such as language barriers and disabilities (Hergenrather, K. et Al, 2009). Photographs are not only a window into children's lives but are a specific cultural construction (Kinnunen&Puroila, 2016). Caine (2010), describes photography as a process of composing who we are and as a way of expressing our individual experiences. It is also a strategy to encourage discussion of experience and abstract concepts (O’Hara et Al.,2019) and is also used to promote social justice (Luttrell,2010).

According to Bourhis definition «A narrative review provides a synthesis or description of the literature review without using quantitative methods. Often the purpose of the review involves the evaluation of some set of investigations and involves theoretical statements and casts a wide range of topics and investigations.» (Bouhris, 2017). I would like to underline that this contribution is rooted in a broader doctoral research project, and represents a fundamental theoretical and reflective step for the construction of the research project. The review, which is currently still under development, is being organised according to thematic criteria emerging from the research questions: -What are the possible uses of photography in educational research? -Can photography be a tool in research with children? -What are the potentialities of such a tool? -What are the critical dimensions? -What ethical considerations must be taken into account when doing research with children using photography? The narrative literature review will be done using the electronic database EBSCO, which is a leading database in the field of human sciences, Scholar and PROMETEO (the database from University of Milan Bicocca). The main search terms used to conduct the review were: participant photography with children; photo-research with children; photography in educational research; photography research children in alternative care. The review focused on the use of photography in educational research but also included a historical overview of its use in other disciplines such as visual anthropology. However, the focus was mainly on the use of photography in research with children. This choice derives from the author's desire to collect material from the lived experience of children living in residential care homes, involving children in a participatory photography process.

This contribution has briefly illustrated the potential of photography in doing research with children. However, in this conclusive section, I would also like to bring attention to the more critical dimensions related to the use of this tool, especially in doing research with children in alternative care. As argued by authors such as Alridge, groups defined as 'vulnerable' are often precluded from full participation in research (Alridge, 2015), and the relationship between participation and vulnerability emerges in particular when conducting research with children who are subject to some form of protective measure. It is essential to emphasise that research presents a number of fundamentally ethical issues that cannot be overlooked. It is essential to provide security and complete clarity to participants. This principle is also enshrined in Article 17 of the UNCRC, which establishes the child's right to information, through the provision of adequate information to support children in claiming their rights and participating. The use of photography in the context of alternative care could lead to dangerous and undesirable effects, which must be anticipated and avoided by the researcher. For example, there is a risk of making domestic spaces or family members recognisable to those who might recognise the children involved, putting them at risk and making them even more vulnerable (Luttrell, 2010). Furthermore, it should be pointed out that the use of photography is not an automatic requirement for encouraging children's participation and expression, or in promoting empowerment. Within this theoretical framework, this contribution aims to explore this complexity, with the aim of enriching the pedagogical debate and its practices.

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