Core principles for all ages
Healthcare providers must prioritise children’s and young people’s best interests while involving them in decision-making whenever possible.
Ages 16–18: full confidentiality
Ages 18+: Treated as legal adults with complete confidentiality rights.
Ages 16–17: Presumed to have full confidentiality and capacity to consent to medical treatment, with rare exceptions. Parents or courts may override treatment refusal only in cases involving death, severe permanent injury, or irreversible harm.
Under age 16: confidentiality rights
Young people under 16 have the same confidentiality rights as anyone else. Healthcare professionals must keep records completely private and may only disclose information in exceptional circumstances where serious danger exists — discussing this with the young person first.
Consent to treatment: ages 13–15
Gillick competency: Children can consent if they understand the treatment’s purpose, nature, effects, risks, success chances, and alternatives.
Fraser guidelines (contraception/sexual health): Providers may offer advice and treatment without parental consent if the young person demonstrates maturity, cannot be persuaded to inform parents, is likely to have sexual intercourse, risks health without treatment, and treatment serves their best interests.
Under age 13
Treatment without parental involvement is rarely appropriate. Any evidence of sexual activity in those under 13 requires action, as they cannot legally consent to sexual activity.