In social work practice, assent and consent are:

Consent is the agreement of clients or their authorized representatives, who have legal authority to make decisions for them, to participate in treatment. Assent is a term used to express willingness to participate in treatment by clients who are too young to give consent or have been deemed by the courts as incapable of making legal decisions. Assent by itself is not sufficient. If assent is given, social workers must still obtain consent from clients’ parents or guardians. Court-mandated services do not require clients’ consent, but clients should be advised at the onset what they have control over and what they do not in these situations. In some states, children can access limited services without parental consent, but the terms still have distinct meanings.