'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

Current case re the assault of two young girls in Scotland by a 17 year male who identifies as transgender and has had care system involvement from a very young age.

The influence of 'affirmation' policies as promoted by Tara Hewitt and other TRAs in both Social Services and Mental Health (Memorandum of Understanding) are relevent to the circumstances of the sexual assault, as well as possibly the management of the risk presented by the offender.

current thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3496984-Article-in-Dundee-Courier-about-assault-of-10-year-old-girl-in-supermarket-toilets

Keep going Tara, you’re doing more to peak trans the nation than this board ever could.

Thanks as always for the links R0wan

Thanks to ROhan
Useful information as always.
People need to watch Tara Hewitt in action on YouTube. It is very useful to see.
I like to observe the reaction of the audiences, they sit there looking incredulous and meek.
I watch the speeches and I am incredulous knowing that Hewit is pulling the wool over our eyes.
We mustn't be meek at these meetings.

Tara Hewitt's response to Times' important articles with detailed serious Safeguarding & Duty of Care concerns about the treatment of children & vulnerable young people raised by NHS medical professionals is to dismiss as 'transphobic'.

It is not clear if TH has actually read & considered the content of the articles which would be the appropriate response of someone with managerial/advisory NHS influence.

TH instead says they "could cry" although not apparently for the possible damage done to children & young people which has motivated whistle blowers from Tavistock GIDS & the lead professor of Evidence Based Medicine at Oxford to speak out with Safeguarding & Duty of Care concerns.

twitter.com/Tara_Hewitt/status/1115129452684558336

The Transgender Inquiry (headed by Maria Miller MP) that Tara Hewitt cites as 'expert source' was critiqued last year by Professor Kathleen Stock at WPUK House of Lords meeting. She identified many fundamental flaws:
(extract)
"You are also going to get a lot of confusion for questioning, gender-non-conforming, children, working out who they are in a world in which ‘changing sex’ is now apparently easy.

So the question for all of us is: how to balance these competing interests?

I want to talk about how, in attempting to answer that question, public organisations are being misleadingly advised, sometimes with harmful results.

I take it that the selection of advisors on a particular issue should follow four basic and commonsensical principles:

· All groups affected should be represented

· Advisors should have relevant expertise, and should advise only on areas where they have expertise.

· Advisors shouldn’t have backgrounds which undermine their credibility.

· Advisors should, where possible, appeal to independently verified evidence to back up their views." (continues)

medium.com/@kathleenstock/womens-place-talk-full-text-house-of-lords-oct-10th-2018-b1f3d70c4559

thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3553935-Times-article-calls-to-end-transgender-experiment-on-children

James Kirkup Spectator today, 'It is now ‘transphobic’ to report doctors’ fears about trans’ children’s health'

concludes:
"Mr Doughty and other MPs should start putting that right by showing some actual leadership and convening a serious, evidence-based debate about this subject. Listen to the clinicians, the academics, the experts. Listen to the parents and families, on all sides of this conversation. Sort fact from fiction. Distinguish lobbying from expertise. Delineate personal anecdotes from objective data.

A comprehensive parliamentary review of children, gender and healthcare services is long overdue. The proper body for that review is the Health and Social Care Select Committee, which should urgently undertake a report into the wider issue of growing GIDS referral numbers and the narrower questions of how the NHS is responding to the young people concerned.

The gender debate is an angry mess of misunderstanding, misinformation and harm for many reasons, but one of them is that politicians have not done their jobs properly. The GIDS story is the gender debate in microcosm: politicians have neglected this issue, allowing vocal lobbying interests to set the agenda; when that leads to problems and people try to raise concerns, those people are shouted down with cries of “transphobia.” And the underlying problems persist, with real human costs."

blogs.spectator.co.uk/2019/04/it-is-now-transphobic-to-report-doctors-fears-about-trans-childrens-health/

I'd just like to invite everyone to watch the video clip in the opening post. Note in particular, the section from 4.30 on, where Tara talks about the trans umbrella, and the section from 5.30 on, where Tara explicitly explains that the trans umbrella encompasses fetishistic cross dressers, who cross-dress for sexual motivations.

There it is, straight from the mouth of someone trans themselves, who is delivering a lecture to healthcare professionals on how to deal with trans people in health care settings.

I think it's important to remember this when people discuss what were formerly single-sex environments, like open plan changing rooms, and hospital wards, and youth hostel dormitories, and women's homeless and domestic violence shelters - which the trans juggernaut wants to repurpose as single-gender. The trans umbrella, according to one leading and highly feted proponent of it, a proponent taking a leading role in training and drawing up guidelines, explicitly includes male bodied cross dressers who cross dress because of sexual fetishes.

Loved this from James's article:

"Here is my suggestion to Mr Doughty, and other MPs following this debate: do your job properly. Instead of adding to the sum total of the dumb anger in the world, do your job and try to reduce it."

RealGhouls:

Tara goes to Macmillan cancer meetings to endorse BDSM for cancer patients (no, really). Also at nursing conferences to preach BDSM for nurses.

I find this baffling. Why? Who is paying this person? I find it incomprehensible that this person somehow remains influential when they’re parading their sexual fetishes all over. I get the whole “we shouldn’t be ashamed” vibe, but at work???

Wants to destroy the Tavistock for being insufficiently affirming, and replace it with some sort of TRA-run body

Wasn’t it announced the other day that a new NHS place was being set up which was indeed to be run by transactivists? How is this all being pushed forwards despite the growing unrest? It’s like a steamroller.

I find this baffling. Why? Who is paying this person? I find it incomprehensible that this person somehow remains influential when they’re parading their sexual fetishes all over. I get the whole “we shouldn’t be ashamed” vibe, but at work???

Tara Hewitt worked for UHSM (Manchester hospital)
UHSM was (rather bizarrely) also one of the 'founders' of TELI with Jess Bradley, Tara Hewitt & MIchelle Hudson
Whilst at UHSM TH won an award for diversity. Someone once suggested that TH nominanted themselves for this but I haven't seen that confirmed anywhere.

I think TH also runs various private consultancy & so may be employed for specific NHS / Social Care training days, no doubt the points above are useful in securing

I think TH is supported/encouraged by Stephen Whittle (Press For Change/Proud Trust)

There's a lot of prominant & influential TRAs based in Greater Manchester.

Greater Manchester Health & Social Care is in a unique situation of having devolved funding.

Having watched the training video many times which Fermat recommends & being aware of cancer treatment issues (from a patient perspective) then I am also stumped as to how TH continues to be rewarded & granted a platform with influence.

Wasn’t it announced the other day that a new NHS place was being set up which was indeed to be run by transactivists? How is this all being pushed forwards despite the growing unrest? It’s like a steamroller.

Yes, Manchester innit!

I have no Expert knowledge on this. But I would be very surprised if the NHS was exempt from the Equality Act.

Hospitals and services provided by NHS that are single-sex are 100% exempt from any sex or gender reassignment discrimination claim.

See Equality Act, Schedule 3, Section 27, sub-section 5a:

(5) The condition is that the service is provided at a place which is, or is part of—

(a) a hospital, or

(b) another establishment for persons requiring special care, supervision or attention.

[5b refers to prisons, care homes, etc]

[See also Section 28 which explains that the process of gender reassignment does not apply in relation to single sex service provision. That is, that a male transitioner is not treated as a female.]

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/schedule/3

Tara Hewitt wrote changes to the single sex accomodation policies (eg wards/showers/toilets) whilst at UHSM

These ammendments were to direct staff to accomodate patients based on their 'preferred gender'

I think the links/sceenshots were on one of the Jess Bradley threads.

Tara Hewitt wrote changes to the single sex accommodation policies (eg wards/showers/toilets) whilst at UHSM

In which case Tara Hewitt has no understanding of the law that is the Equality Act 2010 and is perhaps unfit for that role.

Hospital wards, showers and toilets are, by law, able to be single-sex facilities. The law is quite clear, There is no discrimination in terms of sex or gender reassignment.

Again, this paragraph written by lawyers is relevant here:

"The Equality Act 2010 provides trans people with the important and necessary protection from discrimination on the basis of gender re-assignment. This is not the same as a general right of access to single sex spaces and services in all circumstances. It is established in case law that the comparator for a transgender person claiming discrimination in relation to gender re-assignment is not the sex which they are seeking transition to but that which they are seeking transition from. There are a number of exemptions for single sex spaces and services, for example sports (section 195) and communal accommodation, such as youth hostels or other shared sleeping and sanitary accommodation (Schedule 23 paragraph 3), which can be invoked for biological women only. These exemptions are equally important and necessary, for many different reasons, such as enabling women to compete safely in contact sports or to use shared sleeping accommodation where otherwise they might be unable (for example due to their religious or cultural background or past trauma)."

forwomen.scot/30/03/2019/tie-letter-legal-response/

Having watched the training video many times which Fermat recommends

I also thoroughly recommend watching it.

This probably needs a new topic with links to related topics (like this one) but relevant here in the meantime.

@AnyOldPrion and @R0wantrees mentioned a new Trans / Gender Service in Manchester:

www.gmcvo.org.uk/gm-trans-health-service-informal-expressions-interest

GM Trans Health Service - Informal Expressions of Interest

Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership is jointly working with NHS England to build a new model of health care for transgender and non-binary people in Greater Manchester. NHS England wants to explore alternative models for delivery that may offer better opportunity for increasing clinical capacity across the country, thereby reducing waiting times, addressing geographical inequality and improving the patient experience.

The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership are seeking to identify potential expressions of interest in delivering a two year pilot. The deadline for the submission of informal expressions of interest is Friday 18th January 2019

To find out more, click here:
www.gmcvo.org.uk/system/files/gm_ths_expressions_of_interest_dec_2018.pdf

If you are interested in delivering this pilot or would like to discuss further, please contact Sara Roscoe, Associate Director of Transition and Development, Manchester Health and Care Commissioning – [email protected]

(I can't find an update anywhere on the site)

The PDF download starts:

Building a Trans Health Service in Greater Manchester - Informal Expressions of Interest

Greater Manchester Health & Social Care Partnership is jointly working with NHS England to build a new model of health care for transgender and non-binary people in Greater Manchester. This communique is intended as an awareness, communication and information gathering exercise.

Background

NHS England is the direct commissioner for specialised services in England for individuals with a diagnosis of gender dysphoria. The model of care for gender services against which we are commissioning is not sustainable, and the patient experience is increasingly poor. There is no specialist gender clinic in the North West of England.

NHS England wants to explore alternative models for delivery that may offer better opportunity for increasing clinical capacity across the country, thereby reducing waiting times, addressing geographical inequality and improving the patient experience.
The proposal for a two year pilot service is subject to full agreement by NHS England in January 2019.

The pilot service will be commissioned and funded by NHS England."

(See link above for the rest of it - PDF)
--------------

NHS SPECIALIST COMMISSIONING

Reading the articles in the Times yesterday (I have not seen James Kirkup's Spectator blog yet) it struck me that the investigative journalists need now to take a step up the food chain to NHS SPECIALIST COMMISSIONING

This is the level where the strings are pulled and health care providers jump to their tune because . . . follow the money.

NHS Blog: Next steps in shaping the future of specialised gender identity services 11 May 2018
www.england.nhs.uk/blog/next-steps-in-shaping-the-future-of-specialised-gender-identity-services/

Home > NHS commissioning > Specialised services > National Programmes of Care and Clinical Reference Groups > Gender Dysphoria Clinical Programme

www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/gender-dysphoria-clinical-programme/

Gender Dysphoria Clinical Programme

"NHS England has established a Programme Board for Gender Dysphoria Services, view the terms of reference and membership. The Clinical Reference Group will give independent expert advice to the Programme Board on the various aspects of the Board’s work.

In 2018 NHS England published new service specifications for adult services, formed through a process of extensive stakeholder engagement and public consultation. You can read the analysis of responses and consultation report; and the service specifications can be found here:

Gender identity services for adults; non-surgical interventions

Gender identity services for adults; surgical interventions.

The new service specifications will be adopted later in 2019/20 once NHS England has used a process of competitive procurement to identify which organisations are best placed to deliver specialised gender dysphoria services in the future. The process of procurement will commence in the spring of 2019. In the meantime, current providers of adult services will continue to work to the Interim Gender Dysphoria Protocol and Service Guideline.

Documents relevant to the Gender Identity Development Service for Children and Young People:

Gender identity development service for children and adolescent service specification

Clinical Commissioning Policy for Prescribing Cross Sex Hormones

In 2019/20 the Programme Board for Gender Dysphoria Services will:

• Oversee the process of awarding contracts for the provision of specialised services for adults (surgical; and non-surgical) through a process of competitive procurement

• Use procurement to consider designation of one or two Gender Dysphoria Clinics to function as a National Trans Health Unit, having responsibility for managing a national or supra-regional network of Gender Dysphoria Clinics

• Establish a pioneering gender dysphoria service in a community or primary care setting in Greater Manchester, as a pilot for evaluation; and consider pilots for other models for delivery in other parts of the country

• Establish a National Referral Support Service to assist individuals in choosing a surgical provider that can best meet their objectives

• Establish a new quality framework that requires designated providers to report meaningful clinical indicators, and that includes Patient Reported Outcome and Experience Measures (co-designed with people with lived experience)

• Review the service specification and clinical commissioning policy for the Gender Identity Development Service for Children and Young People.

That last one is interesting. Is it the Review that has already been completed or a different one?

-----
ps. There is a lot of relevant info already released under FOI on "What Do They Know?"

What Do They Know: Search results for "gender dysphoria"

Greater Manchester is 'primed' to push forward with 'progressive' gender pilot schemes.
Due to the unique funding/structures in place Greater Manchester will have fewer external checks.

@R0wantrees - Greater Manchester will have fewer external checks.

So the opposite of what is needed if a new system is being piloted.

NHS Commissioning look as if they are only going to look at "formal evaluation" at the end of the two years rather than regular monitoring.

I wonder how they are going to "formally evaluate" a pilot service when they have not even defined the population that it is meant to serve?

I AM STARTING A NEW THREAD ON THIS SUBJECT NOW OR IT WILL GET LOST IN THIS THREAD AND IT IS OF WIDER INTEREST

I will post a link when I have started it.

SeaWitchly Wed 15-May-19:
"By the by, what professional qualifications does Tara Hewitt hold to qualify for a Band 8A [44 - 51k] role in the NHS?"

twitter.com/Tara_Hewitt/status/1128395303273553920

current thread:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/a3317880-Parents-who-wont-affirm-8-yr-old-gender-change-being-referred-to-social-services

Relevent thread concerning meeting in House of Lords today. Medical professionals raising/whistle blowing serious ethical, Safeguarding, Child Protection & Duty of Care concerns about the treatment by public services (NHS, education, social care) of children & vulnerable adults & impact of trans rights' activism:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3586228-Important-Standing-For-Women-House-of-Lords-Meeting-today-First-Do-No-Harm-The-ethics-of-transgender-healthcare-hosted-Lord-Moonie-focus-on-the-Duty-of-Care

Placemarking.

Regarding tara’s Qualification, it is my understanding that she studied for a law degree after ‘self teaching’ for her A levels.

She did not complete the degree, so she doesn’t hold a degree in law, however she often refers to ‘when I was studying law,’ which could leave the impression that she does. I have seen her described as having a ‘legal background.’

It is curious that she is paid by the nhs at the same rate as an experienced chartered clinical psychologist with a doctorate in their subject (who actually start at band 7).

It is also interesting that the nhs pay her band 8a while they are downgrading staff with actual qualifications. It does not go in noticed by those clinical staff, I expect.

It seems like the TELI website has been taken down.

Tara narrated a segment on Pride Month on BBC News yesterday. Michael Cashman was also on it

"All who come with an open heart and an inquiring mind will be welcomed.
If you are angry, or wish to spread hate or intolerance, then whoever you are, please enjoy an evening at home."

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-audience-with-professor-stephen-whittle-and-tara-hewitt-tickets-95421128163

I’m trying to get Tinsel, R0 and Doobigetta to go. We are workshopping ways to contain anger (might need latex masks).

Do you fancy some canapés too, Jesus?

Might need to figure eating into the mask selection process.