Gillick Compentancy: Not a loophole, a strong, solid foundation for children & young people's rights

Gillick Compentancy: Not a loophole, a strong, solid foundation for children and young people's rights.
Open rant to the #thetimesmedia
I am sharing this as a Youth Worker, who has worked around Gillick competency my entire career. I have been able to work openly, transparently and safely with young people because of my knowladge of this work and ensuring young people are aware of it when they work with me and I will only pass on information if i believe that they, or someone else, are at risk of physical, mental, sexual, financial, neglectful or any, form of abuse.
This article and the legislation that is potentially going to be enforced on schools (that staff HAVE TO tell a childs parents if they mention even thinking about different gender identities to that which they were bordn) undermine's young people and professionals that work with them. Young people need the ability to talk to and open up to different trusted adults in their lives. Parents and guardians are fallable, like all humans and so young people choose who to share their secrets and concerns with and as the mature, start to learn who they can trust and who they don't want to.
This article and legislation is a scary movement BACKWARDS to surveilling and putting young people at risk. With this new article and legislation around, it is a dangerous spiral. Teachers and youth professionals have spent years breaking down barriers to give young people the confidence to trust them when they need to explore things like gender identity, exploration like this IS NOT a RISK.
This will reverse all the work being done on MENTAL HEALTH! Young people will start to withdraw from talking to trusted adults, not only in relation to gender identity, but sexuality, their feelings and everything, reversing the amazing work done by professionals trying to enable young people to talk more, so they don't suffer with mental health problems.
#angergy #flipthescript #mentalhealth #rant #gillick #transrights #genderrights #childrensrights #youthwork #youth #uncrc #mentalhealthawarenessweek #angergy #flipthescript #angry #mentalhealthawareness #mensmentalhealth #anxiety #mensmh #mentalhealth #europeanmentalhealthweek