DUP health spokeswoman Diane Dodds condemns 'transgender experimentation on children'
Both the DUP and the TUV have heavily criticised both the fact that five-year-olds have previously been accepted as transgender patients in Northern Ireland, as well as a current plan to plough more money into trans services by the health minister.
According to information sent to the News Letter by the Belfast Trust in response to a Freedom of Information request, at least three five-year-olds (and possibly as many as 12 – the trust refuses to be definitive) have been registered as patients of its Gender Identity Development Service since 2014.
In all, some 438 under-18s have been accepted as patients during that time, between nine and 36 of whom have been aged under 10.
This news came shortly after it was revealed that the health minister Mike Nesbitt was making a fresh investment of over £800,000 in trans services, with no age limit on who can be accepted.
DUP health spokeswoman Diane Dodds MLA said: “When children as young as five are caught up in this, it is not ‘support’, it is ideological experimentation on children by the state.
"There are serious safeguarding concerns at play here, alongside a growing number of unanswered questions about the proposals announced by Mike Nesbitt last week.
"When the Assembly returns, the Health Committee must meet with the minister or his officials to establish exactly how this service will operate, what its parameters are, and how vulnerable children will be protected.
"People right across Northern Ireland are rightly worried about what children could be exposed to, and the long-term impact on their wellbeing.
"This is a safeguarding scandal in the making and it cannot go unchallenged.”
Meanwhile TUV MLA Timothy Gaston has written to Mr Nesbitt to voice “deep concern” regarding its plans to develop trans services – particularly the fact it “appears to allow for referrals without a lower age limit”.
"This development raises serious safeguarding questions,” he said, adding: “The approach adopted by your department seems to disregard the findings of key expert-led reviews, most notably the Cass Review, which highlights the need for caution when it comes to life-altering interventions for young people.
"The longstanding concerns raised by clinicians such as Dr David Bell reinforce the dangers of ideologically driven models that risk pressuring vulnerable children into irreversible medical pathways under the guise of ‘gender-affirming care’.
"I am also troubled by the manner in which this announcement emerged. It appears the Rainbow Project was briefed or involved in the rollout before any official communication from your department.”
He asked for “a detailed account of the policy development process, including all organisations consulted and all internal departmental briefings and risk assessments conducted before the announcement was made”.
The Department of Health has said: “The service will provide age appropriate care to adults, children and young people, and their families, who express gender incongruence and who are likely to benefit from clinical support.
"In some cases, those showing specific gender challenging behaviour will pass in time, but for those with gender dysphoria it continues through childhood and into adulthood.
"The service will adopt a holistic, multi-disciplinary integrated approach to assessing and responding to an individual’s needs in view of any co-presentations, and the range of complexities relating to gender identity development.
"The most appropriate clinical pathway in the best interests of the patient will be determined through an integrated multidisciplinary team approach, fully involving the patient and their family if a child or young person.
"Referrals for the Children & Young People Pathway within this service will be as for all other Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services and will be age appropriate.
"As a lifespan service referrals will also be accepted beyond 18 years.
"For all CAMHS services parental consent would be required, however Gillick Competence/Fraser guidelines for healthcare could be applicable depending on the age of the child.
"Each referral will be triaged and assessed individually. At all times the Safeguarding Board NI safeguarding policy will be followed.
"All referrals for children and young people can only be made by another CAMHS service who will have assessed the young person prior to referral.
"Children and young people will remain open to Core CAMHS alongside the Gender Identity Service until age 18 years.”
The Belfast Trust has said: “The Knowing Our Identity Service (KOI), at Beechcroft, is the regional service for under 18s.
"Belfast Trust has not referred any under 18s to gender services in the rest of the UK.
"Referrals received by the regional CAMHS Gender Service, KOI, have reduced by 77% from 2017 to 2023.”