"It's like my kid came back overnight": Experiences of trans and non-binary young people and their families seeking, finding and engaging with clinical care in England.

BACKGROUND

Trans and non-binary children and young people in England, UK struggle to gain access to affirming clinical care, despite the international research evidence pointing toward this best practice approach. Concurrently, they are subject to constant discussion in the UK national media and politics, where many negative assumptions are made about their needs, experiences and clinical provision. Their journey to seek appropriate care has not yet been documented.

AIMS

We trace the experiences of trans and non-binary children and youth and their families in their decision to seek, searches for and experiences with affirmative and non-affirmative clinical input for help with their gender.

METHOD

27 dyadic, semi-structured interviews were undertaken with trans and non-binary children and young people and their parents from 13 families.

RESULTS

The process of seeking support via National Health Service clinical routes in England, UK is beset with lengthy waiting lists, issues with geographical inaccessibility, a lack of relevant clinical knowledge, and a failure to recognize the value of family expertise. Family doctors provide contraceptive hormones in lieu of proper access to puberty blocking or gender affirming hormones, and most families resort to private care they can ill afford.

DISCUSSION

Training in gender identity and gender dysphoria is recommended for both family doctors, and children's mental health services. Gender identity development services could be decentralized, with local hubs offering more accessible support.