Mail online criticises Manchester MORF charity for distributing binders to young teens

[Needmoresleep]

A detailed article with quotes from David Davies MP.

dailym.ai/2DV13Nf

Apparently binders are sent to young teenagers in plain packaging behind parents backs. The health implications sound horrific. Where is acknowledgement of parents safeguarding responsibilities?

I still dont get it...when I helped run a community sports club we could not book Local Authority or Private school facilities without the equivalent on a higher level Sport England Clubmark. Facility owners were clear. They needed it for their insurance. There were a huge list of requirements, but when I read through it, each and everyone was needed. Coach and Committee names and the contact for a designated and trained welfare officer had to be on our website.

So why the much lower safeguarding and transparency requirements for youth charities receiving public funding. (And indeed why is Stonewall allowed to get away with so little transparency.) Post Kids Company, should the NSPCC or someone be bringing in a similar sort of quality mark which would ensure that organisations had safeguarding, proper governance, proper financial controls and so on. Certainly as a volunteer I was pleased that we had a clear framework and that by following it we did everything we could to protect the children under our care.

Post Kids Company, should the NSPCC or someone be bringing in a similar sort of quality mark

The NSPCC refuse to explain why their safeguarding policy doesn't extend to trans children, despite being asked countless times. Presumably concern for breast binders for trans children comes under the decision to ignore protocols.

I would assume that Barry is a transman, other than the fact that if I were choosing a new male name I would go with something more like Zack and Reuben than Barry

The binders are sent out free of charge, and users are encouraged to return unwanted binders so they can be used for other people "all over the world" - morf.org.uk/binder-scheme/

Recycling chest binders for the world might just be the wokest thing I’ve ever heard. I bet they are gluten free too.

The Mail on Sunday (and it almost always is the Mail on Sunday, rather than the Daily Mail or Mail Online) has been excellent on this. Just search Sanchez Manning's name on the site - she has done a series of very good articles, including the recent front page one about the teacher whistleblowing on the large number of trans pupils in her school.

On the question of whether this is FGM, the National FGM Centre, run by Barnardo's, regards breast flattening as a harmful practice:

nationalfgmcentre.org.uk/breast-flattening/

The links talks about how this is carried out in certain African countries, and then has this interestingly-worded sentence:

"It should also be acknowledged that some adolescent girls and boys may choose to bind their breast using constrictive material due to gender transformation or identity, and this may also cause health problems."

That seems to be very cautiously trying to say that this is a dangerous practice, but we don't want to be accused of being bigots.

Why don't we all request one, and bankrupt the stupid 'charity'.

Having a small Mumsnet hiatus this weekend, but had to pop in just to flag that if I was a parent of a child at Red Oak Primary School in Lowestoft, I think I'd be a little right now.

twitter.com/OakRed230/status/1069179118472839168

Either the Red Oak Primary School twitter account-holder only read the LGBT Foundation tweet and frothed (OK, but come on, do your research)

Or , more concerning, they went on to read the original Mail article that the LGBT Foundation was responding to.

And still thought the best response was to attack the method of journalistic approach, rather than the serious concerns about child safety the article uncovered.

A journalistic investigation that uncovered the fact that the Morf organisation is:
a) happy to recommend an article of clothing that evidence shows can cause permanent damage to health, restricts movement, restricts access to physical activity.
b) happy to collude when specifically requested by the presenting 13 year old child to send this clothing to them under cover so their parents don't know
c) happy to invite a 13 year old child to the organisation's premises to 'try on a binder' without the need to inform the parent/guardian.

And yet Red Oak Primary School's main concern is the journalist's approach.

Mind you, Red Oak did have an 'inspirational' talk from Claire Birkinshaw, the first transwoman head in the UK, earlier this year:
twitter.com/OakRed230/status/1012696195280527360

?
twitter.com/OakRed230/status/991670653639159808

I just looked up the Morf website. Basically they do fuck all apart from send out the binders. They have a Monday group session with no future meetings planned: the page with the meetings listed refers to meetings March - June 2018 (I know this because 26 March 2019 will be a Tuesday). And a social group with no socials planned. Their support and resources page just refers to other organisations. The committee page lists no people. And yet they are getting funding from LGBT Foundation and Big Lottery. To do what exactly? Their web page states that the binders are available for people 'all over the world'. Is that within the geographical remit agreed with their funders I wonder?

I'd like to see the Mail look up LGBT's report to the charity commission and Big Lottery.

Is it just me or have all the committee numbers names disappeared. There's an "under review" type message instead. 🤔

MORF certainly has an interesting list of first name only male committee members.

morf.org.uk/committee/
Just clicked on this link and committee page is blank - says it's under review. Are they in damage limitation mode?

It's not just you Galvantula I came here to say the same thing....

Just looked up Big Lottery they are currently not funding international projects. Therefore Morf distributing these medical devices worldwide using UK funding is probably in breach of their agreement.

Datun, trans or not ALL charities working with children should have:

A clear safeguarding policy on their website.

Names of Committee and key staff, with perhaps their qualifications, should be on the website.

There should be a nominated child protection officer.

There should be liability insurance details.
All staff and volunteers who come into contact with minors should have both a DBS check and have done a safeguarding course.

There should be risk assessments for key areas of activity. Etc.

This is BASIC. If this organisation does not have all of this it should not be funded.

'Trans' does not make them special. Children need to be protected. The NSPCC should be fighting for this.

It sounds to me that LGBT Foundation basically run Morf, it isn't a separate organisation.

And whoever at Red Oak is tweeting is extremely stupid. Schools are not there to campaign or endorse other organisations.

This implies it was run as a 'recycling' scheme back in 2013/14

morfmanchester.blogspot.com/p/binder-scheme.html

But the Mail suggests that they have received really serious ammounts of money from both DoH and the Lottery.(Thinks back to the days of having to complete endless paperwork to get £5000 from Awards for All to run a community football scheme for kids from local estates.)

Red Oak tweets now seem to be protected.

I hope someone has got beyond their defensiveness and is actually reading what we are saying. Trans or not, child protection is paramount.

pombear: what did the Red Oak tweet say? It’s disappeared now.

The binder I've received does not fit me - what can I do

Isn't that the point? Like 3 inch lotus shoes.

Red Oak's tweets are protected. Interesting.

X post, sorry!

Is it actually a charity? I cant see that it is registered with the charity commission.

I think it's just an organ (sorry!) of LGBT Foundation.