Cass review: Councils failing to take on trans kids guidance

Not one Scottish local authority has changed how they treat gender questioning children in the wake of the landmark Cass Review, an expert campaign group has revealed.

Scottish Professionals Advising on Gender (ScotPAG) – a group of senior professionals from health, education and social work backgrounds – asked every council whether they had changed policies in schools or childcare in order to conform with the review, the recommendations of which were adopted at the beginning of July.

Mary Howden, of ScotPAG, revealed that Freedom of Information requests to every local authority showed none had taken any action.

While the Care Inspectorate had made some changes – for example, removing references to chest binding from its literature – ScotPAG said the organisation was still not fully compliant with Cass’s safeguarding recommendations.

Howden said 26 responses from 32 councils showed no change, with 92.3% saying they refer their schools to the Scottish Government’s transgender guidance for advice. Their research showed 11 councils – 42.3% of those who responded – referred their own social work services to the outdated Care Inspectorate guidance. Just one council said their policies were under review.

Howden, former head of education and workforce development at the Scottish Social Services Council, said: “These findings show councils in clear breach of Cass recommendations.

“We are particularly concerned about the harms caused by affirmation and social transitioning, using breast binders, and what is understood about children who tell parents, carers, teachers and social workers that they will become suicidal unless they are treated as if they are the opposite sex. These policies have a mental health impact on the peers of children who state they are transgender, and direct children to collude with non-factual declarations which cause anxiety and confusion.

“The Scottish Government must remove embedded gender ideology in our public services with immediate effect.”

Former Scottish Government adviser and educational psychologist Carolyn Brown said: “The Scottish Government spectacularly failed our most vulnerable children and their families, causing terrible harm in the process because they only listened to trans lobby groups and activists while embedding policies and guidance in schools and care establishments.

“They must take responsibility by ensuring these harmful policies are immediately removed from all our public services and replaced with the holistic care advocated in the Cass Review.”

NHS England’s chief paediatrician Dr Hilary Cass spent years reviewing evidence from around the world to ensure children experiencing gender concerns get holistic care, particularly over the life-threatening use of powerful gender-changing hormones which are now banned across the country for under-18s.

Families whose lives have been torn apart by the government’s policies have spoken out about the damage done as a result of their children, particularly those with autism, being captured by the pro-trans ideology in schools.

And investigations at Scotland’s main gender clinic, the Sandyford in Glasgow, revealed children as young as five were on waiting lists to be seen, along with 51 girls put forward to undergo “gender affirming” double mastectomies when they reached 18, despite evidence showing that 94% of teens “grow out” of gender dysphoria.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities said: “We have not considered this at a national level, however, we work closely with the Scottish Government on inclusion and supporting all children and young people.”

The Care Inspectorate said: “The guidance supports services caring for children and young people, such as residential childcare services, to enhance the inclusion of transgender including non-binary young people. The document is based on good practice guidance, referred to throughout. We updated it to take account of changes to legislation, feedback from stakeholders, and the Cass Review. We will update it again as and when available guidance changes.”