For young people aged between their 16th and 19th birthday with mental health difficulties living in East Cheshire

This means that:

Generally we will not talk to anyone outside of the 16-19 service about your problems, however there are some exceptions.

  • You have a right to use the 16-19 service without your parent/s or guardian knowing. If you have chosen to use the service in this way, we will support this by ensuring any letters or phone calls are directed in the way that you tell us.
  • For example, we would not send letters to your home if you thought they might not remain confidential.
  • We will not talk to your family or friends about what you tell us or your healthcare without your permission.

Important exceptions to confidentiality are:

Like with adults we have a duty to write or talk to your family doctor and the person who asked us to see you to tell them a bit about your problems and what we plan to do.

  • However, normally we will let you know & agree to what we tell them beforehand. You can have copies of these letters if you wish.
  • With your permission we might talk to other people involved in your care if that would help them be helpful to you.
  • We might share confidential information about you without your permission if we are concerned that you or someone else may be at risk of harm or if it is in the public best interest.

If this were the case, your worker would usually try and discuss it with you

Appointments:

You will usually be asked into your appointment alone, even if your parent/s or guardian attend the service with you. But, if you would prefer them to come in to your appointment with you, you can do that.

Medication:

If you have been prescribed medication for any type of mental health difficulty or problems like ADHD, you have a right to make decisions about this medication once you are 16.

This means as long as you and your psychiatrist agree that any medication you are prescribed is in your best interest, you can make decisions about this independently from your parent/s or guardian.

Your psychiatrist will explain the likely benefits and possible side-effects to you to help you decide if you want to take any medication. You do not have to tell your parents about any medication that you are taking, or any changes in your medication, although it is usually a good idea to tell them.

If they know they may be able to support you and help notice if any new medication or change in your old medication is making a difference.

Confidentiality:

Just like any other health service, you can expect your appointments with the 16-19 team to be confidential in the same way that an adult can.

When you are 16 or over, the way that you can expect to be treated by health services including mental health services changes.

This is because the law changes when a young person turns 16. Just like an adult, once you are 16 you have a legal right to confidentiality and to consent to your own treatment. Your parents or legal guardian cannot override your decision on this.

This leaflet is designed to explain what that means for you and your parents or carers once you turn 16.

It may be especially relevant to you, or your parents, if you have previously worked with CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) before you turned 16, or if you saw a community paediatrician or other doctor for prescription of medication before you turned 16.

Consent and decisions

Once you are 16 you may give or refuse consent to medical treatment. This includes making decisions about whether or not you use a mental health service like the 16-19 team, as well as what treatment you receive and any therapeutic work that you do within the service.

It is often important to take your family’s view into account and they may be able to support you. However, they are not able to override any decisions that you make about medication.