A campaigner was left frustrated when he was told that health bosses would not answer questions about individual cases in public.
Adrian Hart, a member of PSHE Brighton, who has previously stood for election to the council, has submitted questions to Brighton and Hove City Council and various committees.
He has raised concerns about young people socially transitioning to another gender at school without their parents’ knowledge.
At a meeting of the council’s Health and Wellbeing Board on Tuesday (8 April), he spoke about parents trying to alert the council about their children who, he said, were “typically autistic, female and same-sex attracted”.
Mr Hart said that these pupils were “affirmed” at school and socially transitioned.
He said: “The logical next step for these pupils has been to seek puberty blockers and/or proceed along a medical pathway to transition.
“While it has been argued that the latest version of the (Trans Toolkit) guidance adheres to legal safeguarding requirements, will the chair meet with PSHE Brighton parents and listen to their truly shocking accounts?
“I recognise that neither the board nor BHCC can comment on the ongoing case (referring to an article about a judicial review) but (the article) describes the avenue taken by just of one of many parents whose complaints are well known to, albeit a tiny few, senior people at the council.”
A Brighton father’s judicial review is currently with the High Court over the decision by his GP (general practitioner) to prescribe puberty blockers to his teenage child for gender dysphoria.
The father believes tha this treatment does not follow the recommendations of the review by the paediatrician Hilary Cass.
Mr Hart also said that there was a “pipeline” of children being transitioned in school and social service settings and being medicalised by the NHS locally with irreversible consequences.
He asked if the board backed the Cass review and government policy and would meet with families in similar situations.
Labour councillor Faiza Baghoth, who chairs the Health and Wellbeing Board, said that it was not appropriate for the board to consider or comment on individual cases.
Councillor Baghoth said: “Equally, it is not a function of the board to examine your perception of decisions made by medial practitioners or schools.
“The role of the chair is to chair meetings where decisions are made by board members.
“It does not extend nor would it be within the proper functions of the role of the chair to meet with individuals outside the board to discuss issues specific to them.”
She said that anyone who had an issue or complaint could go through the council’s complaint process, NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board complaints or the Health and Social Care Ombudsman.
Mr Hart said that the response was “disgraceful” and was disappointed with the offer of a further written response.
Outside the meeting Mr Hart said: “PSHE Brighton are a bunch of ordinary parents who care deeply for their children and for some reason the public sector institutions in Brighton refuse to engage with.
“In no other world would those in service of the public block conversation with those they serve.
“It is extraordinary given these parents have evidence of harm caused to them and their children by the actions of the local authority, schools and doctors. Safeguarding only matters when it suits, it seems. Shocking!”
Is it true the outgoing BHCC Executive director of health & adult social care, Robert Persey, just left with a pay off of £465,821?
He left in February 2024 – so over a year ago.
Any payment would have been listed in the Council 2023/24 accounts which are publically available.
This is what Google search says. Why was he paid this much? And why did he leave if he was paid this much?
“The Executive Director for Health and Adult Social Care at Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) was Rob Persey, who left the council on February 29, 2024. His final salary was £465,821. The position is now vacant. “
When I was made compulsory redundant many years ago by the NHS I was paid based on the redundancy terms in my contract (based on my total length of NHS service), not required to work the bulk of my contractual notice period (3 months due to the grade I was on) and for accrued but not taken annual leave so it soon mounted up.
So his final payment covered all of that. His annual salary was no where near £465k
And the wording of that matters. Pay also included employers pension payments which aren’t paid by him but are part of the cost of the total package.
This is a council, not a private corporation which can afford payoffs of more than statutory redundancy amounts. How can BHCC afford to pay one man nearly half a million quid to leave and what council fund does this money come from?
The payments are contractual so can’t be changed unless there is a whole sale renegotiation of the Local Government staff contract.
If you want to know more then contact the council.
No public authority is going to discuss the affairs of an individual patient in an open meeting. Especially as this board doesn’t deal with patient complaints (no authority to do so)
It was wrong of him to try and do so.
I can’t see in the article where it’s explained what ‘PSHE Brighton’ is, so I looked them up.
“PSHEbrighton is a support and campaign group established with the aim of assisting families in Brighton & Hove who have concerns with the delivery of Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE) and Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) in local schools.”
From their website and blog posts it’s clear that PSHE have concerns about the latest ‘Trans Toolkit’ and whether that complies with the Cass report and with current Government/NHS policies.
The Cass report is already in conflict with the wishes of some trans activist groups – including some who were involved in creating the trans toolkit for schools.
Note that many schools were asking for guidance on trans issues for their pupils, which is why the toolkit was produced in the first place. There is a new generation of young people who happily define themselves as non binary or who seek other gender identity choices – choices which were not openly discussed in earlier times.
Note too that head teachers are often in conflict with parents over how best to deal with these and many other safeguarding and wellbeing issues in school. Another example is whether or not it is right to talk in class about pupils watching online porn or violence – and at what age?
The complex moral issues here are about young people self identifying as trans, and how and when you indulge what a child is claiming or asking for, and when you might suggest it’s just an adolescent phase. When there’s body dysmorphia issues then this becomes a medical concern and the correct outcome for the child might not be the choice preferred by the parents.
It is where there is conflict between the child, the parent, and the schools, that a court case may ensue.
We don’t yet have an agreed age of consent where a child can legally make up their own mind about gender issues.
And yet when the adults in charge then make the ‘wrong’ decision on behalf of the child, then that might be seen as child abuse.
In this news story, the council have made it clear they won’t intervene in individual cases – and quite right too. But perhaps the council are already stuck down a rabbit hole where they need to fend off opposing lobbying groups in a situation where there are no simple answers.
Why are trans activist groups interested in underage school children?
Chris, that’s a good question, but it’s easily answered.
If you grew up knowing you were trans then you’d be aware of the prejudice you faced when changing your gender and identity – so you’d then be naturally supportive of younger people now going through the same thing.
It’s the same empathy felt by those adults with hearing issues towards young deaf kids at school, who they might feel are not getting the help those students need with their communication and any extra educational needs.
Similarly, as a gay man, I’d not want to hear of bullying at any school, based on prejudice about a teen’s choices about gender or their sexuality.
If a parent, or as the foster carer of a young person, I’d also be concerned where the school staff seemed to be making choices for my child that I thought wrong.
These are all issues which we do need to talk about – and just because you take an interest doesn’t mean you are seedy or prejudiced. I’m pretty sure that most people, ‘activists’, ‘pressure groups’ – or otherwise – are well intentioned.
Lots of people grow up not ‘fitting’ into the ‘gender’ ‘aligned’ with their biological sex. That is not new, it’s part of growing up, learning to accept differences, understanding and being your authentic self. What is new is activists expecting society, schools, health care etc. to comply with an ideology that demands ((without and in most cases against evidence) on the concept of being ‘born in the wrong body’, and ‘assignment of sex/gender’, labelling and preferred pronouns, ‘trans victimhood’, affirmation, social transitioning, hormones, surgery, and it systematically silences, destroys people, parents, women etc. who raise legitimate concern. I don’t agree trans activists have good intentions- and if they did they’d now be more contrite in the face of overwhelming evidence counter to their fixed and flawed position, exposing the harm trans ideology does and is still doing- but they haven’t and won’t. And while the tide is finally turning, BHCC are still captured and listening to them. Many children and young people in Brighton and Hove have, and are still, being directly and indirectly harmed by this ideology and BHCC (who are ultimately responsible for schools and safeguarding our children) won’t answer questions on these issues because they also won’t admit they’ve got this wrong.
Example of Adrian Hart not understanding safeguarding number 1000
Given the Supreme Courts ruling on Wednesday BHCC will now have to concede they have got this so very terribly wrong, and allowed themselves to be bullied and gaslight by trans activists and/or deliberately and illegally promoted perceived trans rights over girls and women’s health, wellbeing, safety and rights (different but all protected under the equality act) including to the detriment of our children and young people when it comes to BH trans inclusion toolkit for schools. Common sense, human biology, and the law prevails nationally. How long will/can BHCC continue to sacrifice its women and girls and LGB communities health and rights to the trans ideology now? Adrian Harts challenges to the council are the tip of the iceberg.
Can you please explain precisely how the Supreme Court ruling affects this matter? A future ruling may do so, but this certainly doesn’t. Have you read the judgment?