All suspected cases of abuse should be properly examined through the legal framework of safeguarding.
Unfortunately the US does not have a robust statutory system like ours and it’s far easier for children to fall through the cracks (home schooling is much more common, it’s an enormous country so v difficult for teachers/youth workers/doctors (and even neighbours) to always have sight of an at risk child. Also private adoption is a thing, whereas all our fostered and adopted children have to be suoervised by the courts (so even in-family fostering is supervised by a social worker).
here we have early intervention plans that identify children who are ‘at risk’ and parents can be supported and mentored via Home Start so as ‘at risk’ never reaches neglect or abuse.
This is the system a charity like Mermaids should be participating in, they shouldn’t be sending dangerous self harming devices to children anonymously and schools certainly shouldn’t be transing children without their parents knowledge or the input of a multi disciplInary team (including a social worker).
In the UK every single child who is diagnosed with cancer is assigned a social worker, a MacMillan nurse, a named hospital consultant, a district/community nurse and optional psychological support from the hospital psychosocial service. Depending on the diagnosis there may be a second consultant (and sometimes even a third consultant) from another hospital department. If required a dietician, a physiotherapist, a play specialist (to help with distraction during tests and treatment) a specially trained dentist and orthotics/mobility aids assessor are also available.
That’s what an NHS multi disciplinary team looks like for a child with life threatening illness.
TRAs tell us that Gender Dysphoria is life threatening for children, but rather than have the child centred and supported by a team of experts, they send binders in the post (97% of FTM or FTNB people who bind experience significant side effects) and recommend online doctors who aren’t fit to practise: Sometimes adult activists even supply black market pharmaceuticals to minors (eg Keffals friend and the ‘Catboy ranch’.
If a child/teen has a cross sex gender identity and 41% of people with a cross sex gender identity have attempted suicide, then any adult in a professional role has a duty of care to either inform the parents (so that the parents can lock away cutting implements, and prescription drugs etc) and keep the child under close supervision (aka suicide watch). IF the adult is worried that disclosing the child’s gender identity to the parents would put the child in some sort of danger then the adult has a duty to engage safeguarding protocols (tell their line manager, inform social services and if the danger is immediate, call the police).
i want children and teens with gender Dysphoria to be properly supervised by a multi disciplinary team - not exposed to paedophiles and other sexually Inappropriate adults through a dodgy charity who doesn’t seem to know what safeguarding actually is.
I certainly do not want a teen with gender Dysphoria to be anonymously supplied with a dubious device that can cause lasting lung and and rib problems, especially by a random adult who has no idea of the teens medical history and the additional dangers that a preexisting diagnosis such as asthma or hyper mobility disorder or an eating disorder could pose.
Proper safeguarding is closing up the circle, with all adults involved in the child’s care (parents, teacher, GP, social worker, psychologist et al) communicating clearly and often.
Children with gender Dysphoria deserve high quality, multi disciplinary health care. They shouldn’t get LESS attention than other children with serious or chronic illness, disabilities or SEN.
Anyone who argues for less than equal supervision is a massive safeguarding red flag.
No secrets. No errant paedos. No exposure to adult sexual interests and activities and certainly NO SODDING DISCORD (which, for the record, is age rated at 17+)