Mandatory reporting to the police of all sexually active under-13s

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.918

BMJ 2005;331:918-919 (22 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7522.918

Editorial

Mandatory reporting to the police of all sexually active under-13s

New protocols may undermine confidential sexual health servicesfor young people

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Confidential sexual health services for young people are underthreat. This summer, following the Bichard Report into the killingsof Jessica Chapman and Holly Wells,¹ several protocols relatingto the disclosure of information about sexually active youngpeople have been issued by area child protection committeesin England and Wales. At the same time the government is consultingon a new version of its statutory guidance on child protection,Working Together to Safeguard Children.² The protocols requiremandatory reporting of all sexually active young people under13 to the police and the collection of data in relation to sexuallyactive young people under 16. Although the protocols' legalstatus is unclear and the intended uses of data about under16 year olds are uncertain, their combined effects are predictable:health professionals can no longer assume that their work withthis age group will be in confidence, and young . . . [Full text of this article]

Ruth Bastable, general practitioner

Cambridge Access Surgery, Cambridge CB5 8HA

Julian Sheather, senior ethics adviser

BMA Medical Ethics Department, London WC1H 9JP (jsheather@bma.org.uk)

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