This article describes a particular approach -a methodology -for examining the ways in which social workers conceptualize children and childhood and the significance of this for developing social work practice. The research described was carried out in Iceland working directly with Icelandic social work practitioners. The methodology adopted used an action research approach, in which young people, who had interacted with social services, were engaged as research consultants. The article evaluates such an approach, paying particular attention to the approach as a method of generating new knowledge, and its usefulness for the development of social work practice.