Do schools speak to dc who have been opted out of vaccinations?

[vaccinationquestion]

If a parent doesn’t consent for teenage vaccinations when the team go to a school to vaccinate do they speak to the children who are opted out to offer them the chance to consent for themselves or are they just not called for the vaccine ?

Not as far as I am aware.
They rely on the consent paperwork provided by school.

They don't have access to individual medical records and would be unlikely to go against parent's wishes and miss a medical issue and have a reaction.

As a school we are not privy to who has or has not had any vaccinations and when there is an outbreak of measles or other we have to notify everyone who has contact regardless.

What is the age of medical consent? In Australia it’s 14. Parents still have to give the permission for vaccine but from 14 teens can make their own medical decisions and also not allow parents to see their medical history if they choose.

I doubt it would be 12/13 though.

they may also cover it in health classes or science lessons too, so kids would learn about vaccines.

I suggest that while there are a number of good reasons for children not being vaccinated, or not being vaccinated in certain venues eg at school, there are a lot of issues raised about parents refusing vaccines either because they cant get it together to get their children vaccinated or because Piers & Jemima's faith healer said no.

Ooh go on then, tell us what your research into the HPV vaccine says?

Imagine not wanting your child protected from cancer. Quite incredible.

At our school it's parental consent until y11. In y11 you could consent for your child. We decided DD could decide whether she wanted the flu jab.

She said only the kids whose parents had consented were called for it, and it wasn't offered to anyone else.

In giving her the choice, she ended up without the opportunity.

When I had vaccines at school, we were given the option to consent ourselves. That was way back in 2004-2005.

Indeed. Has their research shown them the link between HPV and not just cervical cancers but oral and penile cancers, and the devastating outcomes from those?

My DC had the HPV vaccine this week in school. They had it explained to them well in advance that the children could override their parents wishes if there was no parental consent.

There’s no specific age here. It depends on the individual child. It’s up to the healthcare worker to decide when talking to the child whether they are mature enough to make the decision. Most children at 14 are likely to be considered Fraser competent. As will quite a number of 13 year olds.

They love a vaccine, they do, it sounds weird I know but they like needles, blood tests, like them as well, they look at it going in.

They are science boys and like sci-fi so we all yap about that and they are fully informed.

The change after Covid vaccine didn’t last, it was clearly more psychological, probably subconsciously that it was the beginning to controlling Covid and normality resuming. We, obviously wanted them to get vaccinated and there was a lot of “vaccine conspiracy nonsense” flying around which we lent into and demanded we would be very disappointed if it didn’t result in at least an extra arm!

So yes they seemed better, we said at the time “can we get one every week” :-)

The youngster had a face rash reaction to his HPV, took him to GP surgery, we were already doing the right counteractive measures, he got his slip for his meningitis, as a precaution called vaccination team, was totally reassured about their measures (and the school) there was never a flicker he wasn’t going to have it because meningitis is much worse than his reaction was, had meningitis, was at basketball club after school, cycled home same day, nothing no reaction as per all previous ones.

They like a vaccine.
They like being protected themselves and they both as boys got HPV partly to reduce the circulation for their female peers. They have a social conscience of their responsibility, honestly some adults could learn from them.

So yes they like a vaccine. They would ask how you could find that odd. Takes all sorts I guess.

When I opted out of the hpv jab for my daughter, she was asked and the the nurse called me. My daughter wanted the vaccine and I gave permission for her to have it. But they would not have been able to vaccinate without my permission.

@xanthomelana and in answer to are we concerned, just to confirm, no not all quite the opposite.

Whenever possible we let them go into medical appointments alone now, their bodies, their choices, we are happy to go in if they want us to, but they need some privacy over their health and to get used to dealing with things without mummy and daddy holding their hands, we hope they always tell us if something is on their minds, and think we have that relationship but in the end once they hit 18 it’s up to them.

My child refused all vaccines and the school didn't talk to them about it (though I had a long chat with the medical centre to explain).

ASD, no chance anyone is getting anywhere near them. Wouldn't even have the flu shot up the nose after age 8.

You'd be annoyed if your child were offered an opportunity to make up for negligent parenting?

Obviously nobody is asking a child with a medical reason not to vaccinate.

One of my son's friends refused to have the HPV at school after his mother had given her permission. Nothing they could do about that.

@MrsSunshine2b
I had already posted upthread that I arranged to have it it done privately at the doctors as she has anxiety and history of passing out after injections so yes she did have the full information and I would be annoyed if she had pressure put on her to just have it at school when we’d already said no.

I was opted out for HPV 🙄. Parents were phoned a couple of times and made a big song and dance about it all being so intrusive but nothing transpired. As an adult I spent some time being tested and vaccinated for what I had been opted out of as a child but sadly the HPV one was missed- I believe they do it for older age groups now but I think I’m still too old for it. Would be ecstatic to be corrected and be able to get it now!

@MollyRover they will vaccinate HPV up to 45 yrs now if that helps
you might have to go private (Boots chemist) but worth asking GP if it applies

Thanks for that, I’m going to look into it. Not in the UK but I’ll check with my GP next time I’m there.

If you are with the same partner then it's too late now, if you have new partners it's worth paying for it at boots.

Yes they do in some areas

She can take him to the gp nurse for it if bribery of some kind would work.

As a school we just host the vaccinations team. We do not get involved with any consent, we will just organise consenting pupils to have their vaccination.

That’s interesting that there is no age. Many parents here are unaware of the age.

from 14 I can not see my sons vaccination and claim history on my Medicare app, which is like our nhs. We also often have to pay up front for medical appointments and claim a rebate. From 14 the rebate didn’t automatically come to me. I had to get him to set it up with my bank details. In theory he could change it and I couldn’t do anything.

we actually had this discussion the other day he’s almost 16 and was asking what ‘things’ he can do as a 16 year old. Like can he vote can he sign a contact ect. I pointed out that
he can already made his own medical decisions if he chooses. He said so when you make me take those tablets at night I can refuse? He is adhd and ASD and currently taking medication to help him sleep which I have to nag him to take every day. Funnily enough he is supposed to take adhd meds too but for the past 3 months has refused to take them. I feel uncomfortable forcing him to take them when they make him feel bad, like headaches, doesn’t eat then is starving ect. I feel like at his age now it is up to him seeing as he is so vehemently opposed to them. I don’t think he realised when I relented and stopped making him take the meds that he is already making his own medical decisions.