The Cass Review: Final Report

The Independent Review of gender identity services for children and young people has published its final report and recommendations.
NHS

The Review, chaired by Dr Hilary Cass, was commissioned by NHS England to make recommendations on how to improve NHS gender identity services, and ensure that children and young people who are questioning their gender identity or experiencing gender dysphoria, or what Cass calls ‘gender related distress’, receive a high standard of care, that meets their needs, is safe, holistic and effective. 

The Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust has been a high-profile provider of services. Growing concerns about how the clinic operated led to the decision by the NHS to commission Hilary Cass to undertake a review on how such services should be delivered. 

The recommendations are far-reaching and include a more dispersed model of service provision, a wider knowledge base, placing gender related distress within a range of other issues, and a broader multi-disciplinary approach.

However, major challenges remain. The Tavistock GIDs had significant waiting lists when it closed in March 2024 and new providers are currently only commissioned to meet a small proportion of this demand. 

The Cass Review presents important opportunities to get services right for these children. Social workers have long worked to close the gap between medical interventions and social context. While the Cass Review is a crucial first step, the emphasis on a broader multi-disciplinary approach might provide important opportunities to ensure social workers can be effectively engaged with such work. BASW will think carefully about the implications of this for social work. 

------------------

You can read the full Cass Report and Executive Summary here.