Child Vaccinations (in particular Covid-19)

All parents want to do what is right for their children and this includes making decisions on certain medical treatments such as vaccinations. It’s not uncommon for divorced parents to have opposing views regarding vaccinations and naturally, with the current Covid – 19 Pandemic and vaccinations for young children – that will be available from early August 2022, the number of parental disputes is set to increase.

 Under UK government guidelines, the NHS is set to offer single dose, Covid 19 vaccinations for children aged between 12 and 15; this includes children who turn 12 on the date of vaccination. In some cases, children will be offered 2 x dosses of the vaccine - if they live with someone who is more likely to get infections or if they have a condition that means they’re at high risk from Covid -19.

Whilst such vaccinations are intended to protect children as well as limiting the spread of Covid-19, there will be parents who are opposed to such vaccinations. This will be for a variety of reasons such as the possible long-term effects of the vaccine.

For parents that cant agree they will need to attend mediation to see if that helps resolve the issue, if not one of the parents will need to make an application to court and the court will make the decision.

When dealing with applications on such matters, the Family Court, in most circumstances, will uphold the NHS recommendations; something to bear in mind if you are a parent seeking to challenge the use of such vaccinations on your children.

For further advice, get in touch today.