Parents with children affected by gender incongruence have an opportunity to have their voices heard at The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. The Tavistock is home to both GIDS (The Gender Identity Development Service – the service for children under 18) and GIC (The Gender Identity Clinic – the service for adults).
Today, 11th June 2020, is the date scheduled for the Council of Governors meeting at The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. Our Duty usually has a delegation of parents affected by gender incongruence at these council meetings. We raise awareness of our situations and express how we feel that our concerns are not being correctly addressed.
Due to Covid-19 we are unable to attend today’s meeting.
However, as is usual, the minutes of the previous meeting are made available.
We have been pushing for a meeting so that we can properly express our concerns for some while. Most importantly, we know that some of the policies at The Tavistock are set outside, by Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England; and we are working to influence those bodies, too.
However, it is common knowledge that the delivery of any service is as much reliant on organisational culture as it is on any policies and guidance set at a higher level.
Moreover, guidance is just that, guidance; so trusts can exercise some discretion.
Prior to attending this meeting (the date and place have yet to be determined), we shall produce an agenda of items to be discussed.
Parents wishing to participate in the meeting and/or the planning of the agenda will receive further information on how they might do this in the next parents’ e-mail which is sent to those registered as an affected parent on the Our Duty website.
