Virginia Morrow is Reader in Childhood Studies at the Institute of Education, University of London. She is also course organiser of the MA Childhood Studies, based on the sociology of childhood and children’s rights. Children and young people have been the focus of her research activities since 1988. Her main research interests are methods and ethics of social research with children; sociology of childhood and children's rights; social capital in relation to children and young people; child labour and children’s work; children’s understandings of family and other social environments. She is the author of numerous papers and reports including (2002) Networks and neighbourhoods: Children’s and young people’s perspectives London: Health Development Agency; and she is an editor of Childhood: A global journal of child research.