I have not been made aware of any specific concerns of health board management regarding potential legal issues surrounding the position of drug treatment services to under-aged addicts, where obtaining parental consent is difficult.
The position regarding consent of minors is that under section 23 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act, 1997, the consent of a minor who has attained the age of 16 years to any surgical, medical or dental treatment, which in the absence of consent, would constitute a trespass to his or her person, shall be as effective as it would be if he or she were of full age: and where a minor has by virtue of this section given an effective consent to any treatment it shall not be necessary to obtain any consent as it applies to that treatment.