'Prominant' campaigning role of Tara Hewitt: NHS, TELI, Social work, universities etc

[R0wantrees]

James Kirkup in yesterday's Spectator article wrote:
(extract)
"What explains the disproportionate number of girls (child ‘assigned female at birth’, to use the approved term) who are starting a journey that can lead to hormone treatment, then binding and ultimately removing their breasts? Is it possible that this is simply part of a wider crisis of mental health among girls?

I don’t know, and neither do the doctors and scientists who study this issue. If you talk to the clinicians at the Tavistock Clinic in London, the NHS centre for the treatment of gender-variant children, they’ll tell you that all the factors I mentioned may be at work, but the evidence base is still incomplete, that they need more time and data before offering explanations. (They’ll also tell you that quite a lot of the children referred to them as ‘transgender’ will in time ‘desist’ and decide to live in their original gender.)

The government now intends to commission research into all this. You might think that sounds sensible and mundane. You would be wrong.

According to Tara Hewitt, founder of the Trans Equality Legal Initiative (TELI), prominent campaigner for transgender rights and an adviser to numerous public bodies including the NHS, the proposed research is ‘absurd and offensive’. The project should be ‘dropped in the bin — it’s simply not an inquiry that needs to happen,’ Hewitt reckons.

This is the quintessential trans-rights response to scrutiny: even looking for facts about children’s welfare is transphobic. Just accept that trans girls are girls and trans women are women. End of debate.

If you haven’t heard that mantra ‘trans women are women’, you will soon, for it is the orthodoxy of the moment, a phrase even politicians are expected to repeat as proof of their embrace of trans-equality. And woe betide anyone who suggests that donning a dress and a new name doesn’t magically render a male body female. Biology is transphobic too."

Im aware that Tara Hewitt co-founded TELIUK and the NHS Trust she was working for at the time UHSM is associated with the group.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3374926-What-influence-does-TELI-have-on-government-public-services-and-charities-policies-Co-founders-include-Jess-Bradley-Tara-Hewitt-and-Michelle-Hudson

At UHSM Tara Hewitt ammended the same sex ward policy to include a new transgender policy (gender self-id)

Also that Tara Hewitt has recently been working with Salford University on their Diversity and Inclusion policies etc

Last weekend, Tara Hewitt gave a keynote speech for social workers, foster carers and those involved wih adopting children at the The Adoption and Fostering Alliance (AFA) Scotland Health Group Conference (they wrote) :

"We are pleased to confirm that Tara Hewitt will be joining colleagues from Three Circles Fostering at this conference. They will be addressing issues of gender identity, about which many professionals feel ill-equipped when required to advise and support looked after young people and their carers.

Tara has provided input and support to staff from over 20 different NHS organisations covering Mental Health, CAMHs, Forensic Services, Acute Trusts and Clinical Commissioning Groups in relation to supporting trans service users and staff.

She has previously been invited as a guest lecturer on LGBT+ issues to social work students at Liverpool John Moore's University and Nursing Students at University of Salford.

Outside of her time spent as a Leadership & Inclusion consultant, Tara has worked for over 8 years as an Equality & Diversity Professional within the NHS. Tara specialises in bringing a creative edge to discussions around the complex topic of gender and health inequalities and helping professionals navigate solutions to challenges within an intersectional context, including young people in care."

Tara Hewitt & ThreeCircles created resources for children and young people in the care system & a toolkit for foster carers and social care professionals supporting them, These were promoted at the conference:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3324578-Vunerabilities-of-Looked-After-Children-Social-Work-CP-restricted-by-affirmation-requirement-Trans-Youth-in-Care-Toolkit

Tara Hewitt training for health care professionals:

Interview 2016
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/what-its-like-transgender-catholic-10810323

I despair how people like this get air time?

The only logical answer (clutching at straws) is people are actually laughing at him/her because what he/she says is so utterly ridiculous.

Is this person actually qualified in anything (psychology/biology/medicine) other than being a prick?

Someone else mentioned this fairly new Twitter account @TransNHS which seems to block widely. It RTs a lot of Tara Hewitt and TELI and the account has a location of Manchester. I wonder who sits behind it?

Should any NHS account use mass blockers?

Ps as an NHS trust governor my trust still measures itself on single sex ward occupancy as being a good thing!

Thanks R0 - I think it would be interesting to know what the process is for the amendment Hewitt was able to enact, and whether it was done so without the EIA which you would expect would be necessary. If there is one, it would be interesting to see it. I wouldn't know where to find it though. I think most LAs publish those online, or at least should do. I'm in a different part of the U.K. so my NHS trust isn't affected by TH's influence (that I know of) but I'll certainly be looking into this further.

Thanks

Spanglylycra
Can you look into how the two policies interact though please?

If a male person who is an occasional cross dresser (see TH definition ) identifies as 'female' during inpatient stay. I don't think this would count as 'same-sex' accomodation breach?

In fact, based on the NHS TRansgender Policies that I've seen. They would be recorded as female.

If UHSM data records gender for both staff and patients, I'd bet most (all?) other NHS Trusts do the same.

I recall Sue Pascoe (Conservative/ Channel 4 adviser) in giving evidence to one of the W&Eq enquiries describing how upsetting it was to have had hospital records which stated male.

Sue Pascoe describes causing a scene and having this corrected.

I've been informed elsewhere that the NHS is also subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty and there should indeed be an Equality Impact Assessment done for something like this type of policy amendment. I don't have time right now but I think some digging on this should hopefully turn up some interesting information. If anyone else is able to, please come back and post if any digging uncovers what's gone on here. I'm just an average adult human female with no knowledge or experience of how NHS processes work but this does seem somewhat reminiscent of the situation in Cambridge LA. I'm sure all relevant paperwork is in order but would be worth checking all the same

Latest guidance for LAC which emphasised safeguarding, mental health, working with the family and SN.

I've not read what Hewitt said regarding LAC but it can be cross referenced with the guidance below for tension.

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

I'm sure Sue Pascoe was upset, but given that women are also entitled to feel upset about a situation they aren't comfortable with, and there's actual legislation that covers single sex provisions/services it would be good to know that all relevant stakeholders needs have been considered when looking at NHS policies on single sex wards.

I've been in hospital and it wasn't a great experience due to being so ill & vulnerable as a result - I would not want to share a ward with anyone who is male, irrespective of how they identify. My privacy and dignity also matters so I'd expect any policy decisions made on something like single sex wards should assess the impact of such a policy on women which effectively makes them mixed sex wards via trans inclusive policies.

I think TH is being primed to replace Jane Fae as the go-to media face of trans.

I'm sure Sue Pascoe was upset, but given that women are also entitled to feel upset about a situation they aren't comfortable with, and there's actual legislation that covers single sex provisions/services it would be good to know that all relevant stakeholders needs have been considered when looking at NHS policies on single sex wards.

'Trans-inclusive' policies don't ever seem to come with impact assessments or suggest that anything other than a focus on the individual who identifies as 'trans'.

Its very strange as there are clear conflicting rights in many situations.
In NHS as well as conflicting rights, there is also best practice to consider.

I think TH is being primed to replace Jane Fae as the go-to media face of trans

Has Tara Hewitt ever been interviewed?

I know there were calls for Tara Hewitt / Stephen Whittle / TELIUK representatives to be interviewed 'against' those women raising concerns about Guides.

I did wonder whether SW was a mentor to TH, what with their academic law backgrounds, locations and overlapping involvements etc.

It's fascinating how a handful of people - eight or 10 at most - have wielded enormous influence, sitting on committees, giving talks about their "journey", giving advice to public bodies. And most of them seem to have dodgy histories involving unusual sexual predilections.

Hey, it's almost as if they have a hidden agenda. Perish the thought.

Its very strange as there are clear conflicting rights in many situations.In NHS as well as conflicting rights, there is also best practice to consider.

I agree, it is strange. Mind you, no less strange than my LA endorsing the LGBT Youth Scotland schools pack without complying with the PSED & carrying out an EIA. Something my MSP is making enquiries about at the moment.

'Tis a very strange world indeed when all this legal stuff is in place to ensure legislation is complied with, and yet, it doesn't seem to be the case that it's being followed. Very strange indeed 🤔

NHS England's head of public participation says:
"Trans people should be treated according to the gender they present as. Trans men should be treated on male wards, trans women on freelance wards. Adequate safeguards should always be in place in order to protect individuals privacy and dignity."

twitter.com/LiviBF/status/1044984933431865344
(See long thread where she digs in her heels and refuses to listen to concerns.)

Tara Hewitt just reminds me of Marjory Dawes

It's fascinating how a handful of people - eight or 10 at most - have wielded enormous influence, sitting on committees, giving talks about their "journey", giving advice to public bodies. And most of them seem to have dodgy histories involving unusual sexual predilections

Yup. Very interesting.

@R0wantrees I'll see if can find out, to be honest it hasn't reared its head here yet and they have a lot of other issues. if it did I can't imagine it would go down well, it is a very working class traditional area, I have visions of 80 year old Betty from Walsall chasing transgenders off the ward with the bottle of sherry she keeps in her handbag (!) In all seriousness I think for the smaller hospitals like ours where people aren't used to the sights (?) you get in a city one this will be a big shock.

Trans people should be treated according to the gender they present as. Trans men should be treated on male wards, trans women on freelance wards. Adequate safeguards should always be in place in order to protect individuals privacy and dignity.

Again, an interesting take where the assumption is that women accept TWAW universally (while not, as I understand it, having sought any views of women to come to such a conclusion) and have no issues with their privacy & dignity being compromised by a faith based policy endorsement of TWAW.

I may disappear down a rabbit hole on this as I expect there's lots of legalese around all these pronouncements to obscure whether or not women's rights/views/feelings have been properly taken into a/c when developing these policies.

QuentinWinters

I'm quite sure Tara Hewitt was on Woman's Hour.

Re: media interview.

On Channel 5

TH has been on BBC London a lot but JF always did the nationals. I think the MN thread on John Ozimek has meant that JF is being quietly reconsidered. Where has JF been during this latest frenzy? Normally would be all over it.