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Authority for a carer to consent to a child’s medical treatment (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English · for parents
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For a parent in Northern Ireland leaving a child with grandparents, a friend, a childminder or another carer: a signed letter arranging for the carer to consent to the child’s medical treatment while the child is with them, and to speak to doctors and dentists. A parent may arrange for someone to meet part of their parental responsibility but cannot hand it over (Article 5(8) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995). You choose emergency treatment only, or routine care too, and the dates.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You are leaving your child with the grandparents in Northern Ireland while you work away.
- A childminder or friend is looking after your child and may need to take them to the GP.
- You are going into hospital and someone else will care for your child for a few weeks.
- You want the person minding your child to be able to agree to treatment in an emergency.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Parent
- Parent's address
- Town or city
- Parent's postcode
- Phone
- Date
- Carer (the person looking after the child)
- Child's name
- Child's date of birth
- Doctor
- Your relationship to the child (e.g. mother, father, guardian)
- Carer's address, with postcode
- Carer's relationship to the child (e.g. grandparent, childminder)
- Authority starts on
- Valid until
- What the carer may consent to
Common questions
- Will a GP or hospital in Northern Ireland treat a child brought in by a grandparent without this letter?
- In an emergency, yes: doctors treat to save life or prevent serious harm without waiting for consent, and a person caring for a child without parental responsibility may do what is reasonable to safeguard the child’s welfare (Article 6 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995). For anything less urgent, a doctor usually looks for consent from someone with parental responsibility or a person acting for them, and this letter shows the arrangement. A school trip uses the school’s own free form.
- At what age can a young person in Northern Ireland agree to their own medical treatment?
- From 16, a young person’s consent to surgical, medical or dental treatment counts as an adult’s, and no parent’s consent is needed as well (section 4 of the Age of Majority Act (Northern Ireland) 1969). A younger child who fully understands the treatment may also be able to consent, following the House of Lords’ decision in Gillick. The letter still lets the carer talk to doctors and act if the young person cannot decide.
- Where should I note my child’s Health and Care Number, allergies and medicines?
- On a separate sheet you hand to the carer with the letter: the child’s Health and Care Number (Northern Ireland’s patient number), allergies, conditions, medicines and GP practice. The authority itself then carries no health details, and you can update the sheet without signing a new letter. The carer keeps both with the child’s things and takes them to any appointment or to the emergency department.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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