Website of the Department of Health

Seeking consent: working with children

This DH booklet provides guidance to healthcare practitioners on how to seek consent from children in their care. Part one focuses on the issue of 'competence'. It considers situations in which children may be unable to give consent themselves. It explains who is legally allowed to give consent to care or treatment on a child's behalf. Part two looks at situations that may arise when seeking consent. They range from straightforward issues such as the use of consent forms to more complex matters such as parental disagreements. The final section covers consent to treatment for mental disorders and consent to a child's involvement in therapeutic or non-therapeutic research. Brief, illustrative examples are provided at the end of each section. There is also a concise source list of further information and guidance.