Guidelines for the testing of looked after children who are at risk of a blood-borne infection

Submitted by Paul Decle on Fri, 05/08/2011

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It is a statutory requirement that looked after children have a comprehensive health assessment, as it is acknowledged that they have unmet health needs and could be at risk of a wide range of health problems.

This Practice Note, produced by a health/social care working party involving BAAF, the Children’s HIV Association (CHIVA) and the National Children’s Bureau (NCB), aims to provide social care and children’s health care workers with:

  • multi-agency guidance to address the health needs of looked after children who could be at risk of blood-borne infections;
  • information on Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV);
  • information on syphilis (another blood-borne infection) where relevant;
  • guidelines on consent and confidentiality;
  • procedures for how to identify, assess, test and refer children at risk of blood-borne infections.