Written question WQ83386

The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in Wales, and people can choose whether to have the vaccine or not.

Under-16s are not automatically presumed to be legally competent to make decisions about their healthcare, including whether they should be given the COVID-19 vaccine. For those under 16 years of age, consent to vaccination will be sought from a person with parental responsibility. Parents or guardians are encouraged to discuss together with children and young people whether or not to have the vaccination. There will be appropriate information made available for children and young people and their parents to make up their minds.

Where young people and parents are not agreed about vaccination, we would follow the law and best practice on respecting children’s rights and parental responsibility. This might include individual clinical discussions and documentation of Gillick competence, as appropriate, which is standard practice in other vaccine administration.

The Gillick test provides that if a child under the age of 16 has sufficient understanding and intelligence to understand what is being proposed, care and treatment can be provided without parental consent. In these cases, the child will be told the reason for vaccination, the risks and any potential side effects. Their understanding of this explanation will be checked and recorded on the Welsh Immunisation System.