| Popis: |
lIn the UK, every human being below the age of 18 years is considered a child in the eyes of the law. In the legal concept known as parens patriae, the state has a duty to protect dependent persons from harm. All clinicians are duty bound to act in the child’s best interests and the child’s welfare must be paramount. In almost all circumstances, it should be expected that the people who speak for their child’s best interests will be their parents or legal guardians. In the past 20 years, consideration of when children should be considered capable of making informed choices about their medical treatment and when the state should decide has changed considerably. Under UK law, all NHS organizations and their employees must now undertake measures to protect a child in their care such that disclosure and effective action to protect children overrides the duty to maintain confidentiality. |
