Guidance

This guideline covers the diagnosis and management of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in children and young people aged under 18. The guideline recommends how to support children and young people and their families and carers to maintain tight control of blood glucose to reduce the long-term risks associated with diabetes.

For information on related topics, see our cardiometabolic disease prevention and treatment summary page.

Last reviewed: 11 May 2023

We reviewed the evidence and made new recommendations on blood glucose monitoring and management for children and young people with type 2 diabetes. For more details, see the update information.

This guideline partially updates and replaces NICE guideline CG15 (published July 2004).

Next review: This guidance will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations.

Recommendations

The guideline includes recommendations on:

Who is it for?

  • Healthcare professionals
  • Commissioners and providers
  • Children and young people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and their families and carers

Guideline development process

How we develop NICE guidelines

Your responsibility

The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.

All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.

Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.

Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.