Letter to school asking them to check for tension between safeguardi g and gender ideology

New statutory guidance for schools around Looked After Children. Focuses a lot on safeguarding, mental health difficulties, SEN and the importance of parental involvement in what happens to a child within the school setting.

Seems to me that it's likely at some point, if not already there will be LAC who identify as trans or non binary. If anything, like children with ASD, they are a demographic perhaps more likely to self identify.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683561/The_designated_teacher_for_looked-after_and_previously_looked-after_children.pdf

Its great Lisa, thank you. I will share.

That's brilliant still. Would you be able to PM me a link to it? Totally understand if you would rather not but I have a meeting at school coming up about their policy and it would be great to show them alternative wording. But no problem if you say no.

Interesting just looked at my kids high school. Reassuringly they mention safeguarding of both trans and non trans in relation to toilets and pe changing and that a trans pupil may need to sleep in a single room and change in a separate place to others. No mention of being in the changing/sleeping as per their gender. Recent document too so there is hope.

.... I mean I'd be prepared to lose my job over it

Same here. I’ve told my head teacher that if I have to go against all my safeguarding training they can find someone else to do my job.

It was interesting how positive the judge was about the schools and their safeguarding referrals. The mother was evidently very unwell and I like the fact that the judge was remarkably kind and positive about her ( while being clear about the harm she was doing).

That's what TRAs never get. Children are just collateral to them - but for us whether parent or professional, their safety and wellbeing is everything to us.

..... I mean I'd be prepared to lose my job over it

sceptical

Thank you. Nothing would stop me. I'd lose my job over it

That's right CrackpotsArePots. Although after this court judgement, maybe Social Services are a little more aware of the dangers?

If anyone has time, have a read of this: a little boy (J) who was repeatedly emotionally abused by his mother who decided he was a girl at the age of 4. In the end - when he was 7 - the child was removed from her care and the judge was scathing about social workers who ignored all the referrals from schools. He was very complimentary about the quality of safeguarding referrals from schools.

www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Fam/2016/2430.html

The judge concluded:

Transgender equality has received a great deal of attention in recent times. I believe that in this case the profile and sensitivity of the matters raised by the mother blinded a number of professionals from applying their training, skills and, it has to be said, common sense. They failed properly to investigate M's assertions, in part I suspect, because they did not wish to appear to be challenging an emerging orthodoxy in such a high profile issue.

So am I right in thinking, that if a young child (Primary) came to school announcing that they were the opposite sex, and we were concerned that (knowing the family) there was parental manipulation, we could not raise that as a safeguarding concern? Because the child's belief must be affirmed?

@twofalls

Suburban have you got any idea why GIRES is used by LA? I mean what are their credentials??

They are the only organisation providing any training in this area, so, in my LA at least, we are using it in the absence of anything else. Such as common sense.

Thanks everyone, I have just written to the school. Will keep you posted

Working Together is actually laid out in primary legislation: www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/31/section/10

So anyone saying that a teacher must keep a child's health disclosure (which is what "I think I'm trans" is) secret is in direct conflict with primary legislation.

Parental reponsibility is also laid out in primary legislation: "A person who has parental responsibility for a child may not surrender or transfer any part of that responsibility to another but may arrange for some or all of it to be met by one or more persons acting on his behalf."

Ignore the blatant mis-sexing of mothers: the law has not caught up with the use of singular they and still uses male pronouns as the default (@MNHQ how come we can't do that?). You, as mothers, who are always parents by law unless a court orders otherwise, have no choice but to challenge anything that might harm your child once you become aware of it. You can't surrender responsibility for that to the school nor anyone else.

Lisa has been saying this for ages but I didn't understand until I went to the statute books.

Safeguarding is not an isolated responsibility, its about professionals working together in agreed ways, sharing information properly and the parent in that situtaion has the most power unless the LA share parental responsibility.

This.

twofalls - here is the statutory guidance which not only emphasises sharing information and involving all agencies and parents, is even called Working Together. That's how important the principle is. Show it to your school and ask if they are abiding by it.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729914/Working_Together_to_Safeguard_Children-2018.pdf

You could certainly give it a try. Or do you know any parents still there you could talk to?

Does anyone think it is appropriate for a non parent to contact schools? Well an ex parent actually.

My DD went to our local secondary school, and looking up their policy I am very concerned,but as she has just finished Uni she clearly hasn’t been there for some years.
Can I legitimately contact them as a ‘concerned member of the local community’ ?

Ok. So that's why the last line of your letter is important. Thank you.

Oh my word really? So we don't have a hope in hell of successfully complaining if they are delivering training in our schools then? I suppose all we can do is point out where it goes against safeguarding.

Gires are funded by the DfE and the NHS to promote their dangerous anti safeguarding rhetoric. That's why schools assume it's OK.
I showed some screenshots of the Gires advice about keeping trans children's disclosures secret to some police officers recently - they work in the paedophile investigation unit and were horrified. Took the copies away with them to discuss.

Suburban have you got any idea why GIRES is used by LA? I mean what are their credentials??