FFLM | Faculty of Forensic & Legal Medicine Consent from children and young people in police custody in England and Wales for medical examinations
The Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine have published guidance for clinicians working in forensic healthcare, specifically police custody, on the therapeutic and forensic considerations for children and young adults.
The legal position of children and young people under the age of 18 years (the legal upper limit of childhood) is different to that of those over 18 years. This legal difference applies to consent to, and refusal of, treatment and examination by child detainees, i.e. those under the age of 18 years. In this document, the terms ‘child’ and ‘young person’ are used interchangeably.
