COVID-19 vaccines: What if I don’t agree with my partner about the children being vaccinated?
Children may start to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as early as this August. With all UK adults set to have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of July, clinical trials assessing the vaccine response of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine have started for children.
But the question of whether to vaccinate your child remains.
For a child to receive any medical treatment, including a vaccine, consent is required. For children under the age of 16, this is usually from someone with parental responsibility who is involved in decisions regarding that child’s medical care.
Many parents are worried about the safety of vaccines and their efficacy in otherwise healthy children. Children rarely develop severe forms of COVID-19, and deaths from the disease are rarer still. Yet evidence is building that vaccines might block transmission of SARS-CoV-2, so as well as protecting them, vaccinating children could have beneficial knock-on effects in the wider community.
What if the parents cannot agree?
At Ribet Myles, our lawyers are members of Resolution, a national body committed to the constructive resolution of family disputes. We are happy to help you try and communicate with the other parent to discuss the wide implications and your concerns about whether to give your child the COVID-19 vaccine.
Mediation is another forum which may be appropriate. We can recommend suitable mediators and be present with you during the mediation sessions if you wish.
We will do our best to help you reach an agreement without having to attend court. If however this is not possible it may be necessary to make an application to the court and apply for a specific issue order. This is an order sought from the family court to determine a specific question which has, or may arise, in connection with any aspect of Parental Responsibility for a child. The court will decide what is in the child’s long-term best interest, assisted by a statutory checklist of factors.
If you would like any further information, please contact one of the team at Ribet Myles on: