The Cass Review Interim Report ... reflections ...
... that may stand for themselves?
Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people:
Interim report
February 2022
Introduction from the Chair
"... the aim of the Review is to ensure that children and young people who are experiencing gender incongruence or gender-related distress receive a high standard of NHS care that meets their needs and is safe, holistic and effective." p.11.
"As with autism, the framework for assessment needs to become formalised so there are clearer criteria for diagnosis and treatment pathways which are shared more widely. These should incorporate not just whether the child or young person meets DSM-5 criteria for gender dysphoria, but how a broader psychosocial assessment should be conducted and evaluated, and what other factors need to be considered to gain a holistic understanding of the child or young person’s experience. Professional judgement and experience will still be important, but if the frameworks and criteria for assessment and diagnosis were more consistent and reproducible, there would be a greater likelihood that two different people seeing the same child or young person would come to the same conclusion." p.60.
"Assessment and management: All children and young people who are referred to specialist services should have a competent local multi-disciplinary assessment and should remain under active holistic local management until they are seen at a specialist centre." p.92.
[ and from: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/gender-dysphoria-clinical-programme/implementing-advice-from-the-cass-review/ ]
"Dr Cass has now sent further advice on the core components of this model. You can read the advice in full here.
In summary, she has said:
...
- ‘The services should have an appropriate multi-professional workforce to enable them to provide an integrated model of care that manages the holistic needs of this population’.
- ‘Staff should maintain a broad clinical perspective to embed the care of children and young people with gender uncertainty within a broader child and adolescent health context’."