Councils fail to protect children in care from gender ideology as local authority ties to Stonewall sparks 'deep concern'

Some 17 councils have been members of the controversial Stonewall charity scheme over the past four years.

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Stonewall's promotion of gender ideology has faced significant challenges from the Supreme Court gender ruling, which has influenced various bodies to reassess their partnerships.

The report has been endorsed with cross-party support from former Ofsted Chief Baroness Amanda Spielman and former Labour Education Secretary Baroness Estelle Morris.

The pair have called on the Government to produce statutory guidance for councils on protecting gender questioning children in care from the harms of transition.

Baroness Speilamn said: "A loving and responsible parent does not always take what a child says about what they need at face value, and will say 'no' or 'not yet' when they judge that to be in the child's interests, even in the face of considerable pressure from the child.

"But social workers are - understandably - less comfortable about saying 'no' or 'not yet' to children who have so clearly suffered already."

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The report revealed that children in care were significantly over-represented in referrals to the Gender Identity Development Service by 700 per cent.

Some 63 per cent of councils did not track or collect information on the number of gender questioning children in their care.

Only two councils mentioned the Cass Review, despite its significance to policy for children and young people.

Councils have been paying thousands of pounds to activist organisations to run training sessions on sex and gender identity, with some children as young as 13 secretly being offered chest binders.

Rebecca Paul, MP for Reigate and member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, has endorsed the report and called for "immediate reform".

She said: "Children in care are alarmingly overrepresented in referrals to specialist gender identity services, yet too many local authorities have failed to implement safeguarding policies that reflect their duties.

"I urge policymakers and care professionals alike to take these findings seriously, and to act swiftly on the report's recommendations. We owe it to these vulnerable children to ensure that safeguarding practices are consistent, evidence-based, not activist-led, and fully aligned with the child's best interests.

"Immediate reform is essential to provide the protection and guidance that gender questioning children in care so urgently need."

Policy Exchange has pushed the Government to publish statutory guidance for local authorities on supporting gender questioning children in the care system.

It stated local authorities need to appoint at least one person who would be consulted in the event a child expresses the desire to socially transition.

It also pushed for local authorities to uphold the verdict from the Supreme Court's definition of a woman, saying there needs to be certain activities and facilities that are single sex.

Former Government Minister at the Department for Levelling Up, Baroness Maclean of Redditch, backed the report, saying: "Too often, vulnerable children in our care system are being failed by those meant to protect them. Policy Exchange's latest report shows how many local authorities rely on activist groups to guide policies or allow children to transition without proper consultation.

"The report calls for an urgent, thorough review and reform of current policies to ensure these young people get the protection and support they need."