Stands for
GC — Legal framework for whether a child under 16 has capacity to consent to medical treatment or examination.
How it works in KallosSim
- In practice language — Legal framework for whether a child under 16 has capacity to consent to medical treatment or examination.
- What it means — Gillick competence (Gillick v West Norfolk AHA [1986]) established that a child under 16 may consent to medical treatment if they have sufficient maturity and understanding to appreciate what is involved. The assessment is individual, decision-specific, and four-limbed: can the child understand the information? retain it? weigh it in the decision? communicate their decision? Gillick competence applies to general consent decisions — including mental health treatment, therapy, and medical examination. Critical asymmetry: a Gillick-competent young person's CONSENT to treatment is binding and cannot be overridden by parents. However, a Gillick-competent young person's REFUSAL of critical or life-saving treatment can be overridden by a parent with parental responsibility or by the court where necessary to prevent death or irreversible serious harm. Abandoning critical intervention because a young person 'has refused and is Gillick-competent' is a clinical and legal error — urgent senior clinical or legal advice must be sought. Gillick competence is separate from and broader than the Fraser guidelines, which apply only to contraceptive and sexual health advice.
- In KallosSim — Cases and formative debriefs may reference this concept when your sector pack and card selections call for it.
Training only. Fictional AI-generated cases only — not legal advice, not live decision support, not a substitute for supervision.
What it is not
- A substitute for reading primary statute or your organisation’s procedures.
- Competence assessment, ASYE sign-off, or Bar / SRA / CIPD accreditation.
- Advice for a live family, employee, client, or court matter.