Some ethical issues that arise from working with families in the National Health Service

Through a case study, this paper addresses ethical issues and dilemmas faced by a Family Therapist working in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) in the National Health Service. When there are legal and societal obligations on parents/carers to ensure that the needs of children and young people are met within a family context, working with a young person in a health care setting oriented to the individual raises ethical dilemmas around consent. When the values of young people and their parents conflict, legal, ethical and political issues can be raised. These have implications for the duties of health care professionals and the rights, interests and autonomy of the individual young people and their parents. The importance of justice to CAMHS practitioners' ethical decision-making about when to prioritize the individual over the family, or vice versa, is emphasized.