Consent & Confidentiality

The services a person can consent to vary based on age.  In California, minor consent laws allow young people aged 12 and over to consent to certain services without parent or guardian involvement.  Minor consent links to confidentiality because, when a young person accesses services under minor consent, those services are to remain confidential – meaning that providers are bound by law to not share that information with parents/guardians.  Confidentiality is about information sharing.  There are two major federal laws that guide sharing student health and education information, HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act).

Are you looking for information on consent or confidentiality?

Which questions are most like the questions you have?

Services

May a 15 year-old get counseling services without parent/guardian consent?

At what age can a young person get STI testing without parent/guardian consent?
 
 
May a 13 year-old access substance use services without parent/guardian consent?

It seems like most of your questions are about consent or what a minor can consent to on their own without parent/guardian consent.

Consent

Sharing

May a school-based health provider share information with the school nurse?

May a school-based health provider share information with a teacher about how a student is progressing?

May a school nurse disclose information to a student’s pediatrician?

It seems like most of your questions are about confidentiality or what information can be shared between different entities.

Confidentiality