42nd Street are running focus groups to gather feedback on your perspectives and experiences of NHS Gender services which will contribute to a Cass Review and help develop services to better meet the needs of the children and young people who need to access them.

We are looking for focus group participants to share their experiences of NHS Gender Services.

We are hosting three focus groups on young people’s experiences of NHS Gender Services– and are looking for young people who would like to take part and contribute to the points considered in the review.

Who can get involved?

• Young people aged 14-19
• Who have ‘lived experience’ – i.e. identify as transgender, non-binary, gender fluid and/or have experienced a period of gender questioning.

We will speak about NHS gender services in the focus groups. It may be helpful (but not essential) if you have interacted with NHS gender services. This includes being invited to appointments at the service, being referred to the waitlist for the service, or being likely to use these services in the future.

When is it?

The focus group sessions will take place on: 
•1-3pm Monday 31st July, in-person at 42nd Street.
• 5-7pm Wednesday 2nd August, online.
• 1.30 – 3.30 Monday 7th August, in person at 42nd Street.

What will participants get?

•A chance to contribute to changes in services
• A £40 Love2Shop voucher for the for the time of each session attended.
• Refreshments will be available at the in-person sessions.

What is the Cass Review?

The Cass Review is an independent review of gender identity services for children and young people. As a result of this review, a series of recommendations about how to develop and improve the services provided to children and young people who need support around their gender identity will be published. The NHS will then decide whether it accepts the review’s recommendations and, if so, how it will put them into practice.
To help inform their recommendations, the team working on the Cass Review are keen to hear from people who have interacted with the current service at Tavistock. To do this, they’ve asked organisations who have strong connections to LGBTQ+ communities to host focus group sessions. LGBT Foundation, 42nd Street and The Proud Trust have partnered to host nine of these focus group sessions. Feedback given in these sessions will be used to create a report which will then be submitted to the Cass Review.
For more information about the Cass Review, including its publications so far, please visit https://cass.independent-review.uk/.

How to get involved?

If you are interested in being a focus group participant, please email iona.dixon@42ndstreet.org.uk setting the subject line of your email as ‘Lived Experience Focus Group’ and sharing which sessions you would like to attend.

If you are interested in contributing to the Cass Review but would find it difficult to join a focus group, 42^nd Street would also be happy to arrange individual telephone/video sessions, or written responses as an alternative to attending focus groups. -
Please, do get in touch on the above email address if you would like learn more about contributing in an alternative format or way.