Adolescents and informed consent

When can a young person withhold consent to medical treatment? Recent international, European and domestic legal developments emphasise a growing recognition of young people’s autonomy and privacy human rights. Recent guidance from the Department of Health (2009) recognises that the law on adolescent refusals to consent has not been tested post-Human Rights Act 1998 and advises that any relevant cases should be brought before a court of law.

In the course of this project a critical examination of the law on adolescent consent will highlight areas of ambiguity and potential solutions. Alternative models (based on international and European examples) will be analysed, developed and tested in order to suggest potential ways forward. Current problems, potential reforms and possible solutions will be debated in a series of workshops designed to engage experts and stakeholders from multiple disciplines.

Each workshop will bring together around 15 people from medical, legal, sociological and philosophical backgrounds. They will cover:

• Ethical and Legal Analysis of the Role of Human Rights in Understanding the Informed Consent of Young People
• Rights, Welfare and Adolescent Consent Refusals
• Alternative Models on Adolescent Consent.
• Ways Forward.