reception health screening

[lulu2]

I have a consent form to sign and return to school for my dd in reception for health screening. The consent is ongoing until she is 18 yrs old and i don't want to sign it but if i don't give my consent will it cause problems?
I don't want to sign it because i am a capable parent able to bring up my dd in a healthy way.
Any thoughts?

I had a form like this for DS but it didnt explain what the checks were for - it was a real general form so i refused to sign it - even asked the teacher to confirm what i was signing and she couldnt - obviously never been asked before !

I refused but they still tested him anyway - needless to say i wsnt impressed and nor was the opticians who i informed later that they did not have consent.

Im quite happy to give permission IF i know whats its for - im not in the habit of just signing something because im told i HAVE to.

There is a difference between not wanting to sign things just because you are told you HAVE to (which isnt the case here, that why they want a consent form) and agreeing to some pretty uncontroversial health screening measures.

lulu2 I don't think anyone's having a go, we're just a bit perplexed why you're so worried about it. many of us don't just go with the herd either, so I think we're asking out of genuine curiosity rather than to put you down.

I really don't think its anything to do with the school interfering, its not the school doing the health checks, they are not qualified to do this, the school nurse does the checks through school because its an easy way of contacting the parents and doing all the children at once, obviously one at a time but in one day IYKWIM. Did you take your child for his/her 7 month, 2 year etc checks? No different to these in my opinion, just done at school because that's where children are. Not surprised the teacher knew nothing, its nothing to do with her, just done on school premises. Strange thing to be bothered about IMHO.

I would do what a couple of others have said and sign it for this year so you can see what the permission form says every year. Good for you for thinking about it.

Eye and hearing screenings are great but you need to be careful you are not signing over permission for any kind of treatment deemed to be found necessary or lacking eg jabs.

Weight screening is pretty ghastly I think. I have read a thread about a child being utterly humiliated.

At secondary, our school screening moved to boys having their bits checked and that's really good as I know nothing about things dropping or whatever they are supposed to do.

It's not offensive to school nurses. But I wouldn't be as suspicious as you are. Just read it really carefully and cross out the bits you don't like.

Anything that involves an intervention or treatment has to have specific consent, so signing a general I consent for the school nurse to undertake screening is simply signing up to the school nursing service. Anything more than the simple checks have to have separate letters and consent forms.

The reason why it is a consent to 18 is because the service is for school aged kids (although I'm surprised it isn't to 16), and as there is a cost to sending out the letters (and the response rate is generally low) seems sensible to do it just the once.

I am delighted to have any sort of checking that reassures me that DS has no problems etc. I am sure I'd pick up obvious health issues but I wouldn't immediately pick up sight and hearing, for sure. This is routine, not something aimeed at you or your DC so take advantage of it.

Lulu what would trouble me is the phrase you pulled out:

"to include hearing, height and weight"

that's fine (well not the weight but there we are) but those are just some of the things included. What about the rest? They're not named. You could be signing away permission for your child to have sexual health screening without your consent at the age of thirteen for all you know.

OK that's a bit dramatic but basically it's giving permission for everything and anything to be screened and checked without further consent.

I wouldn't really like that.

I can't imagine sexual health screening would not be intrusive (and therefore need separate consent), and a 13 year old would probably have her own opinion on what they would be OK with. But all screening is done with the intent to help the population screened (which might include your dd/ds), so I can't see that that would be a bad thing, even if you might not like the idea.

As I said, that was a dramatic example, but it's good that you feel able to have that level of trust -- it's really up to every individual what they are happy with.

But no one can predict what kind of measures a future health department might introduce. Everyone knows about mistakes where children are given injections without consent. Everyone knows about data loss on a massive scale and administrative inefficiency. Why not err on the side of caution and privacy, and ensure repeated informed consent?

It's not even that much of an issue really -- if you like it, go with it, if you don't, you can opt out of the more blanket consent without picking your child out as an individual.

Ah well I used to work for a PCT, and have a background in public health, so I'm pretty much bound to think these things are a good idea. I do think most consent letters could be much better worded though, as a parent I too like to know exactly what they have in mind.

Oh that does explain your enthusiasm!

Think of the cost involved of having to print out new consent frms and explanatory leaflets for all parents every year - coming out of an already constrained pot of money. I don't want my taxes going on lots of printing out and paper personally.

I agreed to DD being screened. In addition to the eye tests I still take DD to an optician every couple of years. And we are having her first proper hearing test next month (she is nearly 7) beyond her newborn and 8mo ones. This is simply because she is having some problems with muffled hearing and our GP thinks she has glue ear. I really don't have a problem with them taking height and weight measurements.

I've been thinking about this. I am coming to the view that as a responsible parent you should sign the consent form. There are lots of children wil will not get the hearling and vision screening they need because thier parents can't/won't/don't know they should/organize it. Their only opportunity is the checks at school. And if a critical mass of people don't sign the forms, the screening won't happen. Disadvantaged children will be disadvantaged AGAIN.

No sorry Seeker, I disagree. You cannot tell me I'm irresponsible because I won't sign a blanket consent form. This is just more of the slightly bullying attitude that goes with health care control. It's my right to know what tests and screening my children are undergoing, and other less responsible parents backed up by the state cannot take that away from me.

It's not a blanket consent form if it's anything like the one I've just signed. It very clearly says it's height, weight, vision, hearing.

I would be very surprised if anyone going to a state school would be asked to sign a blanket consent form. Prepared to be proved wrong of course.....

It's irrelevant anyway - this new Contactpoint database means they've got your kid's details stored and will merrily 'share' them with potentially hundreds of thousands of state employees. Now anyone at all official can snoop into your private life once you have children.

None of us ordinary families have any right to privacy or to run our own affairs without interference any more. Unless you are a VIP or celebrity - database is too insecure to put the children of our lords and masters on. Just us normal folk who have our privacy invaded without even being asked.

I signed the consent form for health checks happily but am very pissed off at this unwarranted extension of state control.

I was asked to sign a blanket consent form when ds1 was in reception. Considering thee ridiculous talk the school nurse gave on healthy eating, and the aftershocks to ds1's attitude to food that we are STILL suffering 1 year later ("I can't eat biscuits, biscuits are bad. Cheese has lots of fat, I have to eat low fat things. I don't want cereal, cereal has sugar in it, I want an apple for my breakfast because apples are healthy, and nothing else") - I very did not want to let the vacuous twat loose on my son with a weight chart and a set of scales.

My concern is my child. Not everyone else's. I don't think the screening is a bad idea ... but it's NOT for Ds1. Sorry.

The only blanket consent form I've ever seen is one that allows teachers to consent to treatment in an emergency. I assume you're happy to sign that one?

I wouldn't have a problem with this. My first contact with the NHS was when I had my ds and I cannot fault the attention and care he has had since he was born and I'm phenomenally grateful for it. I know my parenting is as it should be but I also appreciate that these sort of screenings are there to support the parents who don't do all they should for their dcs.

It says "health screening to include height, weight and eyesight". But doesn't say what else. I wouldn't like that.

and I always put no for the calpol

The screening at Recpetion picked up on my daughters hearing problems. Without it I may have continued to miss it for goodness knows how long!

I was never asked the calpol question - I am surprised that a state school would give it even with consent. In fact, I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to.