CONFIDENTIAL SHS

THREATS TO CONFIDENTIAL SEXUAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR UNDER-18s

In recent months several Area Child Protection Committees have issued interim protocols to local authority and medical staff about the way in which they should work with young people under 18 who are in sexual relationships.

Some of these protocols raise serious issues about confidentiality and the extent to which the police should be involved in cases where a young person is below the age of consent.

The Pan-London Protocol, for example, says that where a young person under 18 is ‘believed’ to be in a sexual relationship, a full personal assessment should be carried out (yes, the age of consent is 16), that information should be shared with others and that police checks may be carried out on the young person and his/her partner.

The protocols are soon to be replaced by a revised version of the government child protection guidance 'Working Together to Safeguard Children'. There is good reason to believe that it will incorporate some of the features of local protocols that have already caused considerable alarm to professionals.

There is widespread concern that effectively removing confidentiality from sexual health services will result in young peoples’ simply not using them at all. Given the figures for unwanted teenage pregnancy and for sexually transmitted infection, this would be dreadful.

ARCH has complained to the Information Commissioner about police proposals to hold details of all enquiries they receive Our letter can be seen here, together with the Information Commissioner’s reply