Department of Health, You're Welcome Quality Criteria

The You're Welcome quality criteria lay out principles to help health services become young people friendly.

The criteria include the following topic areas:

Accessibility, including opportunities for young people to make an appointment and attend consultations without the involvement of a parent or carer and provision of services at times and in locations that are accessible to young people.

Publicity, including that service publicity should make clear young people's entitlement to a confidential service, any limitations of confidentiality for young people and the rights of parents or carers regarding their level of influence on their child's care.

Confidentiality and consent, including that confidentiality and consent policies are on display and are routinely explained to young people by staff who have received multi-disciplinary training in this area.
Monitoring and evaluation, including that young people should be involved in service development and that all clients should be invited to give their opinion of the service offered and whether it meets their needs.

You're Welcome also incorporates specific quality criteria for sexual health services that include the need for comprehensive, integrated services and arrangements for young women with unplanned pregnancies to be seen immediately by another practitioner for impartial discussion if their first contact is with a member of staff who is ethically opposed to abortion.