Children aged 13 and over can now consent to health services?

[Politygal]

Children aged 13 and over can now consent to health services without their parents knowing? GPs sending letters to 13 year olds telling them they can see the doctor without telling their parents? Being able to consent to research without telling their parents? Asking to be referred to health services without telling their parents? What is going on?
Considering the pressure on young people to conform to social norms which might not be beneficial, is this wise? Remember that social norms can involve drugs, and all sorts.

Yes, this has been the case since 1985.

I have been told it has just changed.

I was 13yo in 1990 and went on the pill without my parents knowing.

Look up Gillick Competence.

Google 'Gillick competency'

Yes and a good thing too. There are plenty of parents with batshit ideas abouts what’s best for their kids and at least if that child shows understanding they can access medical services of their own free will.

Thought it had always been 13?

This explains it Op:
https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system/gillick-competence-fraser-guidelines

It's a good thing, it means they can access the pill or coil, an abortion, mental health services etc all without having to involve parents if they can't trust them.

This is a very important tool for children, especially if they’re from families that have very different views to themselves that could potentially put them in danger mentally or physically. It’s been the case for decades.

It’s been the case for years I was so glad that I could as a teen. it’s a good and important thing that as others have said for a whole host of reasons.

it also means simple things like a child can go for a dental check up after school without parent taking half day off work.

Yes this has been around a long time. I remember going with a friend aged 13/14 so she could get the pill. I have no issue with my dc13 being able to see a GP without me if he felt he needed to do so.

It's been the same since I was child in the 1980s. Nothing new.

It's a lifesaver in secondary schools on vaccination days.

I know about Gillick Competence, but I take it that you are all OK with children thinking they are in the wrong body and going for treatment without you knowing?

The thing is OP, if you know all about Gillick competence, on what grounds can you argue that a teenager shouldn't have agency over their own healthcare? You can't pick and choose, they either have healthcare autonomy or they don't. And if they do, then they may use it in ways that you disagree with, just as an adult child might.

The medical professionals don't behave any differently though, regardless of if the chipd is accompanied or not.

Surely the answer is to try to be the sort of parent who can be trusted and confided in, so that you're not relying on some dubious legal exception to keep you involved in your child's decisions?

There are certain things they can break confidentiality for though. I was 18 and my Dr at the time contacted my parents. I had been seeing them for treatment but as I was a risk to myself due to my eating disorder they need to inform my primary care giver.
At school at the same time they were allowed to contact my parents about my physical health but not my wellbeing or mental health.
If they have these safe guards in place for 18yo they will have things in place earlier too.

For what it is worth my mental health would not have deteriorated as much as it did if I had been able to access mental health treatment without my parents permission before 18. They would have phoned my parents straight away due to risks. I am pretty certain I would be dead now if they had known earlier than they did. I think it is good thing for drs to be a safe place for teens to seek help from with appropriate safe guards in place.

13 is actually not a lower age limit when it comes to Gillick Competence. It is for accessing contraception but that's because anyone under 13 cannot consent to sex. But when it comes to medical care, there is no lower age limit for a child to be assessed for Gillick Competence

Trouble is not all parents are supportive reasonable human beings and it is vital that older children can be enabled to access health care without them knowing. There are too many parents that abuse and neglect, and some are just batshit crazy, and their children need to be able to see a GP without them being aware.

I agree that the trans issue needs to be addressed, and the whole pathway for children apparently presenting with gender dysphoria, but this should be with a review of the specific issue, not by preventing all older children from accessing the health care they need.

This isn't new and yes I am okay with it as it maybe necessary. As others have posted you can't pick and choose and I want every child to have access to treatment if medically decided appropriate.

The trans issue is more complex.
It is possible for a 13yo to be competent to consent to a vaccine, but still very much NOT competent to consent to puberty impacting treatment that may impact sexual development and pleasure for their adult lives.