Practitioners involved in treating children will occasionally require consent of either the child, parent/guardian. During the current Council symposiums, it has been noted that most practitioners are not utilising the prescribed consent form when engaging in both clinical and non-clinical interventions involving children.
The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 has prescribed the specific form that should be utilised. The use of any consent form other than the prescribed form is illegal.
Council has noted the following seven consent forms that are of relevance to practitioners registered under the Health Professions Act 56 of 1974. For additional forms, practitioners are encouraged to access them from the Regulations contemplated above.
• Form 2: Consent to social or cultural circumcision
• Form 3: Consent to religious circumcision
• Form 22: Reporting of abuse or deliberate neglect of a child
• Form 23: Reporting of abuse or deliberate neglect of a child to the Director General
• Form 33: Application for consent to medical treatment or surgical operation by the Minister
• Form 34: Consent to surgical operation by a child
• Form 35: Consent to surgical operation of a child by a parent.
In its endeavour to guide practitioners, these forms can be downloaded from the HPCSA’s website.
Last Updated on 14 April 2016 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs