Vaccinations - What happens when parents disagree?

Over the last few weeks, we have received an influx of phone calls from concerned parents, about the possibility of their children being vaccinated against COVID-19. These parents fall on either side of the issue – some are eager to have their children immunised as soon as possible, while some are concerned about potential adverse effects and want to make sure their children aren’t put at risk. The thing that all these parents have in common is that their child’s other parent doesn’t agree with them about vaccinations, so they have looked to the law for guidance.

So what happens if separated parents can’t agree on medical decisions for their children? Often, these disagreements ultimately wind up in Court, and the Court will make the orders that they find are in the best interests of the child. These orders relate to parental responsibility.