The United Kingdom’s National Health Service is adjusting its rules when it comes to the care and treatment of transgender children. In the past, children had to be over the age of 7 to begin receiving health services geared toward children who identified as trans. Children who may have identified with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth were previously deemed “just too young” to receive care.
Now, after the introduction of new consultations, those limits have been removed. It’s a development that some argue came after trans activists put pressure on lawmakers.
The permitted care is focused on mental health.
The care available to all children regardless of age does not include puberty-blocking drugs, The Telegraph reports. It doesn’t include any physical medical interventions at all. Instead, children who identify as trans, regardless of age, are eligible for counseling and therapy along with their family members.
Data suggests that up to 10 children in the pre-K age range are currently receiving treatment. For children who are 9 and younger, that number is 157.
The NHS once considered children under 7 too young to know their gender.
Before this adjustment, the NHS considered children under 7 too young to definitively exhibit signs of “gender dysphoria.” The organization pointed to behaviors like wearing gender-specific clothes and playing with certain toys to be a normal and healthy part of child curiosity and development.
“We know that showing an interest in clothes or toys of the opposite sex — or displaying behaviours more commonly associated with the opposite sex — is reasonably common behaviour in childhood and is usually not indicative of gender incongruence,” the organization previously stated.
The NHS wrote that by age 7, “children may have more developed their cognitive, comprehension and communication skills to … be able to engage with health professionals.”
This assessment came after pediatrician Baroness Cass learned that the NHS had been sending children who identified as trans to the Tavistock Clinic, where they were placed on a singular path to change their gender. Doctors often prescribed puberty blockers even though there is a lack of evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness, The Telegraph reports. The clinic didn’t assess for any other neurodevelopmental conditions. As a result, it was closed.
The NHS has been moving toward a less medical approach with trans children.
After the clinic’s closure in 2022, the NHS adopted a more “holistic” approach to the care of trans youth as opposed to the previous “medical model.” Now, the rules are changing again with the elimination of age limits. While the NHS insists it is following Cass Review recommendations, a source close to the consultation believes the NHS “caved to the pressure” of trans activists.
‘They can sit and talk to a professional for support,’ Dr. Helen Webberley said.
According to data released under UK freedom of information laws, the number of children taking advantage of this new rule shift is said to be fewer than 10. The number of children who are under 5 has been withheld to prevent sharing identifying details.
Dr. Helen Webberley, a former NHS doctor and founder of the GenderGP, a clinic that treats trans patients, spoke to GB News about the decision. “We’ve got to think about what we mean by ‘treat,’” she said. “The NHS is saying is, if you have a child under the age of 7 who is saying they are transgender, asking what gender means or the family is struggling, they can sit and talk to a professional person for support. I think this is marvelous from the NHS. Thank you from the trans community.”
