Parents Guide to the sexual health clinic 

Parents Guide to the sexual health clinic

St Helens has a dedicated sexual health clinic for young people aged 13-19 years old, it is locally known as the TAZ clinic. TAZ clinic is operated with clinical and non-clinical staff, including the TAZ Outreach Team. The TAZ Outreach Team also provide Relationship and sexual health support and education in schools so your child may already be familiar with them.

• Do they need my permission to visit the clinic?

  If your child is over 16 years old, they do not need parental consent as they can consent to attend the clinic themselves.

   

  If your child is between 13-15 years old, the healthcare practitioner will need to decide if they can consent without parental consent. A set of guidelines was created to help with this decision of whether your child is mature enough to consent to advice, testing, treatment, and medication including contraception.

• Will my child be able to visit the clinic if they are under 13?

  Under UK legislation, children aged 12 and under cannot legally consent to any type of sexual activity. This means we do not promote our clinic to under 13s and if they do attend the clinic, we will take their attendance seriously and our main aim would be to safeguard the child. We would contact the hospital's safeguarding team to investigate and make sure the child isn't in any danger or harm.

• Will you let me know if my child has attended the clinic?

  We encourage children to tell their parents when they visit the clinic but we do not force them, young people have the same right to confidentiality as adults. We will not be in a position to share information with you regarding your child's visit to the clinic.

• What responsibilities do you have to protect my child?

  Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital have a commitment to the safeguarding and protection of children and young people from harm or abuse. If a practitioner suspects that a child has been harmed or is in danger of being harmed, they will follow the Trust safeguarding policy to investigate the situation and involve the necessary services as per the policy.

• I have found a TAZ leaflet in my child's bag; does that mean they've been sexually active?

  Not all young people that attend clinic are sexually active. Sometimes, people visit who may be thinking of having sex, are curious, or even visiting with a friend. We have some young people who attend condom demonstrations so they are prepared for when they do have sex. This shows the maturity that they understand the importance of safe sex.