Petition · past parliament

Raise the parental responsibility age to 16.

Closed 270 signatures

What the petition asks

Joshua Connolly Teale, sadly died May 2018 due to taking 1 MDMA tablet. Joshua was on a camping trip with 3 adults who agreed to supervise him. He had a fatal reaction to the drug, which showed its effects quickly to which the adults supervising failed to provide basic medical attention.
The adults were intoxicated, an ambulance wasn't called until the next day, no reasonable medical care was given even though he wasn't breathing and they didn't contact Joshua’s family. The case inspector said that if Joshua had been under 16, he would have arrested the adults. The law says that parental responsibility ends at 16, so justice can't be served. The coroner criticised the adults for a "gross failure to provide basic medical attention for a child whose condition clearly required it.

Timeline

18 Dec 2018 Petition opened for signatures
18 Jun 2019 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 270
Status Closed
Opened 18 Dec 2018
Closed 18 Jun 2019

Follow this petition

Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.

Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.