Ethics

There are few areas of medicine where practice within robust and clear ethical boundaries is as important as in child health. The College therefore takes seriously its responsibility for ethics training and standard setting in paediatrics.

The College has set up an Ethics and the Law Advisory Committee (ELAC) to lead:

• interpreting the principles of ethics as they underpin day-to-day medical practice
• advising on how ethics of paediatric medicine interface with common and statute law
• ensuring medical practitioners of all grades can access appropriate education and training opportunities on ethics and the law, and how both of these affect their practice
• educating why medical ethics demand respect for children's welfare, moral status and rights

Past work to set and improve ethics education and standards undertaken by the College has included:

• surveying paediatric trainees for information on how they learn about ethics and where they think the best information on ethics is available
• producing advice documents
• representing paediatrics on working parties
• advising individual doctors and other groups, including other charities dealing with children, on how best to deal with ethical dilemmas

Most of this work has been done by the ELAC.

Email: ELAC

Documents containing guidance on ethical issues:

Ethics of Research in Children (PDF, 102KB, 7 pages)