Tavistock clinic to close as not safe for children

[GettingMarriedAgain]

Breaking news in the Times and Telegraph:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e1ed2bea-0e63-11ed-93cf-b011fa7fe86b?shareToken=4fa557c3083dee141defde72e0e53d54

But they do need a replacement service- this needs proper funding. Gender dysphoria exists, non binary exists and there's always been a very small number of individuals long before the internet. We need a safe service (I disagree with any surgery or non fully reversible treatment under 18) but also to understand why. I know quite a few trans young people and every single one of them has some difficulties in their childhood eg bereavement (age 7), alcoholic parents, controlling ultra religious mother and father ran off with someone, another had a controlling father who was extremely homophobic. I see a pattern in my personal experience, what is the trigger I wonder???

Blimey, just seen this after people mentioned it on the AB thread. Big news.

Will future detransitioners still be able to sue if the GIDS no longer exists? (Not my main worry but a random thought).

Oof.

'the credulity of some MPs who allow policy-making to be subverted by groups eg stonewalluk in exchange for retweets.'

I was treated at Tavistock when I was in my early teens (nothing to do with gender or anything related to gender) and it used to be a wonderful clinic that really helped young people.

Such a shame it's been lost to all this trans controversy.

I'm very familiar with the diplomatic language used by governmental bodies. "I wouldn't advise that course of action" meaning 'if you fucking do that, you'll end up with a riot on your hands/half the power out in the Midlands/you'll start World War III.'

Like in 'Yes, Minister' the use of the words 'brave' or 'courageous'.

Cass's language is already hard enough. The place must have been a shit-show.

It really must, we thought it was bad but the tone and the words of Cass are on another level, the full report will, I suspect, be absolutely damning.

Yes, dysphoria needs to be treated. I am hopign Cass' recommendations will also include massively beefing up children's mental health services.

That's brilliant news!

If the multiple centres are set up as intended it can only be a good thing for the families they support.

In addition, having lots of centres means there are bound to be different approaches and a chance to actually explore how to best help the kids.

That's made my day 😁

That's what these children need treatment for. Mental health issues arising from bereavement, past trauma, sexual abuse.

They need to address the actual issues. Not the notion that it's because they're born in the wrong body.

They have real issues which affect them, none of which mean they're the wrong sex.

Really pleased to hear this, great news that children will get better healthcare, as they should have done all along. Well done to Keira Bell, Sonia Appleby, Stephanie Davies Arai and all the other who put their necks on the line fighting for this, I hope they feel vindicated today, especially Keira who did a wonderful thing fighting to protect other children from the mistreatment she received.

After a little look on twitter, nothing from Mermaids, Stonewall, LOJ or the usual suspects yet.

This is amazing news.

It feels like the dam is really breaking due to the persistence of so many women over the past few years.

I do have some reservations about this transfer to regions; so many professionals in child mental health have been captured by this ideology, or have avoided it in fear, so I'm not feeling entirely confident there's going to be a robust holistic offer as being suggested here.

It will take very strong leadership within these new centres, to introduce very clear principles on gender dysphoria vs trans and their positioning within wider mental health concerns. I hope they find the right people to lead these.

But right now, an amazing day.

Yes. I hope it will also put an end to the glamourisng and lauding of 'trans kids'. No more 'butterflies', hopefully.

Well done Hillary Cass and and all involved in exposing what is shaping up to be a massive, massive scandal.

And well done to the MN vipers!

The Tavistock as a whole is still a wonderful clinic - I am being treated there and have been for a while; I could have easily have decided I was trans if different time / different era / different location.

But sadly, it does feel like clinics/units are being sucked up by outside forces and rhetorics from their army of supporters which just makes it very, very difficult for both staff and service users.

Wonderful news. I feel quite teary - the agenda pushed at Tavistock was not conducive to protecting young and vulnerable children.

Am I the only one who is a little bit skeptical. What's to stop multiple regional GIDs services being infiltrated by affirmation only advocate doctors and clinicians like Harrop?

Also Cass hasn't taken the line (like some Scandinavian countries recently have) that the standard approach should be therapeutic and that puberty blockers should only be prescribed in the minority of most serious cases but seems to be wanting to actively recruit kids to puberty blocker trials.

I mean it's good that there will be more accessible services as these children definitely need support and help and it's important that future interventions are evidence based but I can't see how these new clinics will be any less vulnerable to capture from the likes of Mermaids than a centralised Tavistock clinic.

I agree. It absolutely can't be done without some principles in place.

But I'm sure Cass is aware of that. She's at the coalface of what this is doing to children. And more importantly, she is seeing exactly how.

The government want to get rid or reduce EDI departments everywhere, which I'm assuming will also include the NHS.

They are tackling each brick in the wall.

Shutting down the Tavistock is massive. It's a fearless course of action. And, to me, it indicates a new strength of feeling, and a lack of inhibition that has been absent up until now.

In other words, it looks to me like they are mightily pissed off with what has been allowed to happen under their watch, and now they don't care who they offend in fixing it.

I can't help but get the feeling Cass is appalled, furious, and on the path to sort all the nonsense right out.

Shutting down the Tavistock is massive.

They are not shutting down the Tavistock, they are shutting down one clinic within the Tavistock - GIDS.

Anna Freud Centre, not foundation.

I just saw that they are fully on the trans affirmative bandwagon. Shame.

This is great news (and I speak as someone who has a self diagnosed "trans" daughter) but a) I hope the new centres genuinely look at the whole person and other mental health issues that may be causing dysphoria not just jumping on trans treatment. B) I hope they make some changes to how adults are dealt with too. My daughter is 16. I still don't think when she's 18 anybody should just take her word for her being trans but should still look at her mental health issues in the round. Just because someone is an adult, they still shouldn't be able to self diagnose their way to hormones and surgery.
If an adult presented at hospital claiming they identify as a paraplegic and demanding doctors remove their healthy limbs they would immediately be referred to psychiatry.

This is wonderful news. Our children and young people deserve proper, robust care.

Yes, it's just the headline stuck in my head.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62335665.amp

My prediction is this is hailed as a positive by mermaids et al and what they wanted all along.

Starting off a therapeutic path with a specifc destination in mind is not good care foe gender questioning young people.

The new service should be bases on principles such as no irreversible treatments on developing bodies.

Holistic assessment and treatment

Hormone blockers and surgery only in the most extreme cases, and only in the context of a clinical trial.

Long term follow up as standard.

There has to be a way of being trans that doesnt include removal of healthy body parts and life long medication.