A leading voice in diversity and inclusion has called for the appointment of a gender therapist in Jersey, after it emerged that there are currently no qualified professionals in the island.
The recently published government guidance on supporting trans students in schools stated: “There are no professionals in Jersey qualified to work as gender therapists at this current time.”
Kaye Nicholson, CEO of local diversity and inclusion charity Liberate, urged the government to take a more comprehensive approach – warning that the lack of specialist support may fall short of international children’s rights obligations.
“We would like to see a holistic approach”
“We would like to see a holistic approach of qualified professionals, including a gender therapist, to adequately support children and young people who might have questions around their gender identity, and their families,” she explained.
Ms Nicholson highlighted Jersey’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which includes the obligation to treat all children without discrimination and giving them the right to be heard.
“Ensuring that there is access to professional care for young people and their family is an important part of that, as well as building a community in which all individuals feel they belong and are accepted,” she said.
No referrals in three years
Currently, children in Jersey must be referred to UK-based specialist gender services through the island’s Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS).
But following queries from Express, the government confirmed that there have been no such referrals in the past three years.
The Children, Young People, Education and Skills Department said: “Given the specialist nature of support required, the formal pathway for gender referral would be from [Jersey’s] Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service to a specialist gender service in the UK.”
It continued: “CAMHS employs a number of psychologists and therapists who would be able to support children or young people to explore gender issues, referring to the specialist UK providers if or when required.”
Meanwhile, an online petition calling for trans inclusion guidance for schools to be revoked until parents have been fully consulted recently reached over 1,000 signatures – meaning Ministers will have to formally respond.
It was set up after the Children, Young People, Education and Skills department published updated guidance for schools and educational settings in March. Express explored what the guidance says here.
