Cass review - out on Wednesday

[ArabellaScott]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/06/children-socially-transition-face-grave-psychological-risks/

Major.

Not an individual teacher being sued but the judicial review being brought by Anna Castle and Ms C will be very important.

Just marking my place, counting down to Wednesday 😬

Funnily enough it was this exact same speaker (RRC at Coventry Skeptics in the pub) that made it all click into place for me too.

Agreed - this will be very critical

Hopefully this is where the Cass Review can knit some of the loose ends between healthcare and schools together 🤞

I should imagine that a significant enough number of potential "exceptional cases" for social transition will be children who already have, or are being assessed for, Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs), because of the significant numbers of young people with autism who are self-declaring non-binary or transgender identities. The EHCP process would then involve the Educational Psychologists at the centre of everything, as is standard to kick off all the other reports. So in theory it creates a line of accountability back to the Local Authorities who employ the EPs... which then gives a focus for the joined-up thinking. I guess the untested part of the above theory is how far Dr Cass has been able to reach in to this world.

Although the BPS is fully captured, thankfully UKCP is not... so hopefully all is not lost 🤞🤞🤞I guess we'll know more on Wednesday 🤞🤞🤞

This is a fantastic article that brings all of the different aspects of social transition puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones together, including the risk beyond the scope of the Cass Review (in 18-25 year olds).

https://can-sg.org/2024/04/07/unfinished-business-following-nhs-england-ban-on-routine-use-of-puberty-blockers-in-children-and-adolescents/

It doesn't talk about the role of schools (or EPs) in the pathway but otherwise, it's a useful "ticklist" to refer back to on Wednesday when the final report is out.

Thanks bonfire. Have there been any more leaks today??

I've not seen anything yet but this is an interesting post from Dr P, which also addresses some of the important points that @EP101 has made about the role of (educational) psychologists.

https://twitter.com/Psychgirl211/status/1777085274633154959?t=xmMrVtYltQpHFkhpuxXrqA&s=19

As a layman observer, I think that the part where she's still pushing treacle uphill at the moment is where she is challenging the name "gender dysphoria". She has covered this in previous posts and prefers "gender identity disorder", which is what it used to be called. Personally I wouldn't die on that hill as I think it's more important that a differential diagnosis is done, particularly around unpicking co-morbiditities like autism and trauma from sexual abuse, regardless of the name. The fact remains that some people will experience a perceived "mismatch" with their own body because of their belief in gender identity - and so this will remain a condition (and unfortunately a disproportionate number of people, particularly adolesent girls, will continue to be drawn in to it, at least in the short term while gender identity remains as it is now in the public discourse 😞). But everything she says in this tweet is exactly what the medical profession needs to hear on this subject. She is throwing down the gauntlet in a similar (yet firmer) way to the original Tavistock whistleblowers. When they tried to do it, it was from within the GIDS system and their voices were suppressed, as explored in Hannah Barnes' Time to Think. She's doing it from within the wider psychology profession, which amplifies everything further.

Screenshots for anyone not on X (the link is to the Daily Mail article in the thread above).

Very important quote for the teaching unions to take note of.

I'm like a cat on hot bricks over this report.

It's going to be so significant

Me too - cat on hot bricks.

I'm also intrigued about how the other side will react. The list of organisations and individuals who have pushed the idea of 'trans' children is very long.

There are also a huge number of organisations, including schools, who have tried to be more sensible on things but I think will still find themselves having to row back on things.

Nervously waiting!

Hello. I’ve name changed but wanted to say hello to familiar names and say how brilliant you all are.
haven’t read the thread yet so if anyone already posted this, apologies, but this has appeared in readiness for Wednesday

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/26895269.2024.2328249

ive only read the into so far but am shocked at how aggressively they are acting.
having gone to letwomenspeakedinburgh I’ve finally seen some TRas in real life and I’m utterly amazed at the single minded nastiness and the egos of some of these people. Mr Tom, looking at you.
But not the slightly confused looking teenage blue hairs. I just want to give them a hug and say ‘ go and protest against something real or worth while’

And wtf. Is the international journal of transgender health? It sounds all official like ..oh yeah, WPATH.
ffs.

The author is the parent of a trans identifying child.

https://growinguptransgender.com/about/

'My child has stated “I’m a girl” since they had just turned 3 and has never wavered from this (this does not mean that I am fixed on this – at the moment she has a very narrow view of binary gender – I would not be surprised if her identity becomes more nuanced or complex as she gets older).'

I don't think any of us know how representative the affirmative position is with the EP or CP professions. We only hear from the representative bodies (who we know aren't operating from a position of representing the majority view) or those who battle it out on Twitter.

What I would say, with some confidence, that the current climate has resulted in poorer quality psychological support. Psychologists are taught to ask lots of questions and generate broad hypotheses. I supervise lots of psychologists and many significant restrict their questions and hypotheses.

None of the following undermine a young person's gender identity, but many psychologist fear that they could be perceived to (in giving the example of a female young person who describes themselves to be a trans boy)
Tell me about the thoughts and feelings that go on inside of you that make you feel like a boy? How do you think these would be different if you felt like a girl?
Other than internal (inside) thoughts and feelings, what differentiates boys and girls?
Is it better to be a girl or boy? Why is this?
What are the best things about being a girl (do you think)?
What are the best things about being a boy (do you think)?

The skilled psychologist would develop a relationship with the young person that helps them to mentalize (think about thinking). They would create an environment when the discussion reflects exploration and reflection not challenge and 'gotchas'.

My work with young people with gender distress achieves this. Many of them really struggle to mentalize due to autism and personality disorder. Others struggling to mentslize simply due to the levels of distress they experience.

I feel my work is very defensible, even under current 'requirements' from trusts and regulatory bodies, which is why I persist.

As I said, some colleagues struggle to have the courage of their convictions to work in this way, which is how they work with young people with every other presenting problem.
Following supervision with me they are presented with the ethical dilemma of working inline with what they understand their union and the BPS is advocating, or in line with what they were trained to do and their clinical reasoning suggests they should do.

What a mess 😞

Hopefully we're heading towards a tipping point where things will change and psychologists will feel comfortable using what they have been trained to do without fear of reprisals. The CAN-SG conference was a significant step forward in opening up the conversation more publicy. The final Cass Report is another, following almost immediately afterwards.

"You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

Quote from William Wilberforce on the proposed abolition of slavery.

Thought it relevant here now the dam is breaking

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/08/trans-children-mental-health-issues/

https://archive.ph/GwRIy

First few paragraphs:

Children who believe they are transgender may actually have mental health issues, a landmark report is set to find this week.

It is expected to advise that children are not rushed onto a path to change gender, and that they receive counselling which addresses the <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/GwRIy/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/06/children-socially-transition-face-grave-psychological-risks/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">mental health issues may have rather than being put on drugs.

Dr Hillary Cass, a paediatrician, will on Wednesday unveil her <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/GwRIy/www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2024/04/09/cass-report-trans-children-have-been-lied-to-by-adults/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">long-awaited review into how transgender children are supported and the medical treatment they receive.

It comes amid concern that children are being allowed to change gender in school<a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/GwRIy/chase.telegraph.co.uk/etc/telegraph-author/v2/edit/40688100-f35e-11ee-a2d7-52e29cc54cb3" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> without their parents’ knowledge or consent, and after the routine prescription of puberty blockers was banned by NHS England.

The Telegraph understands that the report will find that children who think they are trans disproportionately have mental health issues such as a difficult family situation or having suffered from abuse. They are also more likely to be neurodiverse.

Came to post, riding my wave of insomnia. I'm searching for Cass on Twitter

I'm becoming more hopeful. The above is exactly what needs to be added to kcsie, urgently

The Telegraph understands that the report will find that children who think they are trans disproportionately have mental health issues such as a difficult family situation or having suffered from abuse. They are also more likely to be neurodiverse.

Suffering from abuse. KCSIE now

Dr Cass’s final report is expected to conclude that there could be many complex reasons a child may think they are in the wrong gender.

It is believed to advise therapists that children presenting as trans may have had other complex issues such as a difficult family situation, having* suffered from abuse, or having been* exposed to pornography too early.

For this reason, cases need to be judged holistically.

The review is also believed to conclude that if you allow a very young child to <a class="break-all" href="https://archive.ph/o/GwRIy/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/05/union-against-schools-telling-parents-child-changes-gender/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">socially transitionon they are more likely to grow up to have a fixed trans identity later in life, rather than their gender distress being resolved by other means.*

Watching with interest (and hope).

Similar kind of thing in the Times:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-gender-identity-children-cass-report-h3k6m9rq3

This paragraph is particularly significant, and I think will be fundamental in ending the pipeline of teenagers to surgery and hormones:

"It is expected to say that children who want to change their sex should not be moved over to adult gender clinics when they are as young as 17. Dame Hilary Cass is also expected to recommend that they should retain the same support team that they had as adolescents because the brain is still developing until the age of 25. She is expected to advise doctors and clinicians to exercise caution."

Oh, wow. It's like someone waking up after a fever dream. Is this it, at last?

I'm so glad this is being spelled out.

I really, really hope lots of people are thinking quietly about whats going on. What's been going on. And what terrible thi gs have been done in the name of 'trans'.