Oxfordshire CC withdraws transgender toolkit after girl's legal challenge

[GruffaIo]

www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/18434781.oxfordshire-council-transgender-guide-scrapped-girls-court-case/

13 year old girl's legal challenge. The High Court ruled that it was arguable that the toolkit was unlawful.

[MrsSnippyPants]

Petra there is a YouTube link on that ReSisters thread so you can see what kind of things they have spoken of. sarahstuartxx has written a running commentary on it. Lots of sexual stuff.

[TheProdigalKittensReturn]

If that particular domino fell it could knock a lot of others down too.

[OhHolyJesus]

I confess to not reading everything new on this but I know the background.

Has anyone complained to the ombudsmen for the councillors? I ask as o wonder what the next steps are, as there is not JR now?

[Lordfrontpaw]

THANK YOU MrsSnippyPants. Remember - if you know a kid at those school...

[RoyalCorgi]

If you look at the Warwickshire one (which has supposedly been withdrawn, but is still available):

headsup.warwickshire.gov.uk/assets/1/r0566_trans_inclusion_toolkit_for_schools.pdf

And go to the Acknowledgements section, you'll see the following:

"The following local authorities and organisations have contributed to the creation of this toolkit: Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Birmingham City Council, Derbyshire County Council, Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council, Kent County Council, Leicester City
Council, Leicestershire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Nottinghamshire County Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Sheffield City Council, Warwickshire County Council, the Young Transgender Centre of Excellence at the Leicester LGBT Centre, and
Joe Butler at SEND Support (Special Educational Needs and Disability Consultancy and Training).
Special thanks go to Brighton and Hove City Council and Allsorts Youth Project for allowing some of the content of this toolkit to be based on their ‘Trans* Inclusion Schools Toolkit’, and
to Gendered Intelligence for commentary on the final draft."

All those councils are using the same guidance, with minor variations.

[WTFSeriously]

Has anyone complained to the ombudsmen for the councillors?

This is worth looking at more closely. In Scotland, COSLA is the main source that has pushed the trans agenda - LA's take their lead from COSLA & they've had people in high profile, key strategic positions for quite some time. The Equally Safe funding scheme designed by scotgov to frame the remit on those orgs who apply for funding to include an LGBT inclusion plan as part of their application to qualify for funding was partly written by a councillor who is, shocker, responsible for the equality & diversity remit for COSLA. Have a look at their Migration, Population & Diversity team. Their president's social media tells you all you need to know on how captured this org is in Scotland.

It's definitely worth looking at whoever is the equivalent in England/Wales/NI.

[truthisarevolutionaryact]

MrsSnippyPants All of those schools are independent girls schools - members of the Girls' Day Schools Trust. My guess is that the Trust is another organisation that has been regulatory captured and failed to exercise due diligence and actually look at the activities of that organisation and some of their people.

[Lordfrontpaw]

Hopefully parents will be asking questions. I certainly would. They pay for this don’t they?

[truthisarevolutionaryact]

Another concern is the number of these organisations who have suddenly reinvented themselves and self identified as suitable people to teach children about Sex & Relationships. Lobby groups are using SRE as a Trojan horse to enforce their views on children - Peter Tatchell has a campaigning group that visits schools and has openly spoken about his interest in grooming girls (and boys) into accepting the presence of naked adults.

[ChattyLion]

This is great news, congratulations to all involved.

[MrsSnippyPants]

Here's a commentary on the Youtube video posted on the ReSisters Twitter thread.
threadreaderapp.com/thread/1258654843813625856.html

Thanks to Sarah Stuart who does a lot of this kind of stuff, meaning we don't have to sit through it Much appreciated.

The narcissism shines through. Is this someone who should be talking to 10 year olds?!

[Michelleoftheresistance]

Parents also need to know who is coming into the school to speak to our kids.

Schools, NHS, Police, all organisations need to be alerted to the need to check credentials, do their homework and think before accepting a trainer, with it linked clearly to safeguarding. Since the revelation of one of the well known political lobby figures mentioned in an inquiry had not only no safeguarding knowledge but lacked the capacity to be able to understand safeguarding, I've been mentioning this to managers in various fields and making a point of asking for/checking and sharing my own credentials and pointing out the need to prove capacity, qualification and fitness to be doing anything potentially affecting policy and safeguarding.

The first response is generally a dozy kind of interest that anyone's thought of this, followed by an 'oh fuck' moment when the risks are pointed out. This lobby has got as far as it has on public trust and laziness, because no lobby has ever pulled this particular fast one before. Practice has to be sharpened up. No one should be training on the EquA, particularly expecting to direct and change policy, without qualifications and training to prove it, and with experience in the field, doing impact assessments, (the actual, proper kind that look at all groups interests, not just the one they like) and knowledge of practice and needs of all groups being affected.

Due diligence. Safeguarding. Accountability.

[Michelleoftheresistance]

And nobody, absolutely nobody , should be advising on safeguarding and policy, without holding any qualification or training in safeguarding. The lobby have sent out trainers, specifically to pressure safeguarding policy change, who haven't done so much as the basic course a school TA would be sent on. It's inexcusable.

[WTFSeriously]

Due diligence. Safeguarding. Accountability.

This 👆 1000%

[Quillink]

The first response is generally a dozy kind of interest that anyone's thought of this, followed by an 'oh fuck' moment when the risks are pointed out.

I find this incredible. Even to a lay person like me there are huge and obvious red flags in letting lobby groups write policy.

[RoyalCorgi]

I ask as o wonder what the next steps are, as there is not JR now?

Oxfordshire has said it will wait for the EHRC guidance (this was originally due out a couple of years ago but has been postponed). Other local authorities are still using guidance similar to the Oxfordshire ones. So I think there are two steps: one, ask the other local authorities whether they're planning to remove their guidance in line with the Oxfordshire and Warwickshire decisions and, if not, why not 2) write to the EHRC to find out if they are going to make sure their guidelines comply with the law.

[truthisarevolutionaryact]

Excellent points Michelleoftheresistance
In order to train in safeguarding, pastoral care, mental health for children and adolescents, people must have recognised and accredited experience and qualifications. It defies belief that schools are ignoring this. But it is the government who has been signposting schools to groups with appalling track records of appointing / employing people demonstrably unsuitable to work with / access children. And of course it's these groups and their 'allies" in the civil service / politics etc who viciously shut down all questions and challenges. Because once people start asking questions about the suitability of so many people currently being invited into schools to access children, this is what happens:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3830536-Drag-Queen-Story-Hour-in-Scottish-Primary-School

[2fallsagain]

Hello, ssauk person here. Just coming in to say thank you so much for all your support. We have mixed feelings about the withdrawal as would have liked a legal ruling. However, this victory is not to be underestimated and it. An be used in all kinds of ways. We have numerous questions for Oxfordshire CC we would like answered. We have had a manic few days dealing with press etc. We need to sit down next week and figure out what next. We have a number of options and a few strategies to consider.

If anyone is in an lea with this guidance and wants to challenge their guidance legally please get in touch with us. We can help. We have articles in the times and the mail tomorrow so hopefully a bit more awareness raising.

Thanks again!

[2fallsagain]

The Times


www.thetimes.co.uk/article/520de44a-9162-11ea-866d-11e3826964c3?shareToken=4d545ded080978910965782ba2ec7510

[2fallsagain]

Bumping for the morning crowd. If anyone is in LEAs with similar guidance please get in touch.

[2fallsagain]

Please share our commentary on OCC decision including our response to their statement. All here in the thread!


twitter.com/SafeSchools_UK/status/1259040550759665664?s=20

[eurochick]

I just came in to share the Times link but I see someone already has. Great coverage and a great result.

[WTFSeriously]

@2fallsagain Well done on your work here. This result is massive and adds to the ways other schools/LAs can be challenged. I hope the exposure from this brings you more new cases to pursue. And we'll all be here with spades when required

[2fallsagain]

Thank you WTF.

[littlbrowndog]

Great work 2falls. Fucking great work