The Cass Review, a review of gender services for children and young people in the UK, was commissioned by the NHS amidst a context of alarming hostility toward trans and gender diverse people by the UK government.
The joint statement was sent in a letter to Premier Roger Cook and some Members of Parliament on 17 May (IDAHOBIT) calling on them to reject the findings of the Cass Review, continue to strive for best practice care for trans and gender diverse people and provide reassurance to young people and their families that they can receive ongoing care and support.
Issues with the Cass Review include its exclusion of trans people, their guardians and caregivers, and expert clinicans from the review team, it’s failure to include international studies, placing it at odds with established evidence, expert consensus, and the majority of clinical guidelines globally, and its initial exploration of the ‘causation of gender incongruence’, feeding into the anti-trans rhetoric that being trans is a ‘condition’ that can be cured.
The UK’s NHS system, as evaluated by the Cass Review, does not align with the Australian approach.
Australian guidelines prioritise holistic, individualised, and person-centred care through multidisciplinary teams of clinicians with diverse expertise. Our world-leading model of care for trans young people and their families emphasises comprehensive, individualised support.
Applying recommendations from the cass review in Australia would be incongruent with our established practices.
Read the full statemement in the letter sent to Premier Roger Cook here.
