By Gordon Rayner, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
19 May 2023 • 7:56pm
Childline has been accused of failing children after teenagers who believed they were trans were told via its website to seek potentially dangerous treatments behind their parents’ backs.
Messages posted in chatrooms hosted by the charity advise girls as young as 14 to bind their breasts and take hormone blockers without their parents’ knowledge.
In other messages, children who question whether gender dysphoria might be simply a mental health issue are told they are being transphobic and offensive.
Critics said the charity – which is partly funded by government grants – had failed in its safeguarding duty by allowing its website to be hijacked by the transgender lobby as a platform for “harmful” advice.
The Charity Commission said it was “aware of concerns” about Childline and was currently deciding whether to investigate.
Childline, which was founded in 1986 by Dame Esther Rantzen and has the Duchess of Edinburgh as its patron, has more than 15,000 entries in its online message boards devoted to gender.
The charity was founded by Dame Esther Rantzen | Credit: PA
The messages were highlighted on social media by James Esses, a former Childline counsellor who was asked to leave after raising concerns that the charity had been captured by the trans lobby.
One message from a 14-year-old girl who wanted to transition to being a boy said her periods were making her feel “dysphoric” and her mother would not allow her to take hormone blockers.
A reply from a “fellow 14-year-old trans guy” said “you could look into starting hormone blockers without your mum’s knowledge”.
Other children inquiring about breast binding were told by fellow chatroom users where to buy breast-binding equipment, which can cause broken ribs and skin problems.
Another 14-year-old said: “I'm struggling with my gender identity. I am female at birth but I feel more male than female. I hate my breasts and feel like they shouldn't be there on days I do feel like a girl and on others I feel more like a boy…I don't know what to do hoping you could give me some advice.”
'Medical problems and physical damage'
The website’s Ask Sam service – written by Childline staff – advised that some transgender people bind their breasts to get over the problem, adding that it should be done in consultation with a doctor because “wearing something tight on your chest can cause medical problems and physical damage”.All of the messages are moderated before they are published, according to Childline.
Heather Binning, founder of the Women’s Rights Network, said it was “just appalling” that Childline was allowing its website to be used as a forum for giving advice that could cause “potential future long-term harm to vulnerable children”.
She said: “Where is the safeguarding? Who are the people giving this advice? Are they medically qualified?
“Adults are letting down children here, they have allowed this to happen and either these messages are not being moderated or otherwise the moderators are afraid to speak out.”
Childline is a subsidiary of the NSPCC, and receives funding through legacies, donations and government grants. Its latest accounts show annual income of £1.1 million.
Pride flag in office
Mr Esses claimed he had been contacted by Childline staff who feel under pressure to affirm children who have gender dysphoria. He also tweeted a photograph of a Pride flag with an intersex symbol on it, hanging in the window of Childline’s counselling room in London, which he said raised questions about the neutrality of the service.He also said that when he worked at Childline the counselling room had posters printed by the controversial LGBT rights group Stonewall saying: “Some people are trans. Get over it.” A growing number of organisations have distanced themselves from Stonewall over its extreme stance on transgender issues.
Mr Esses said: “Childline is meant to be a neutral mental health service, free from bias. Yet this ideological symbol sends a clear warning to counsellors and children alike to not step out of line.
“It is imperative that the Charity Commission conduct an investigation into Childline and the NSPCC. If vulnerable children in our society are not safe contacting Childline, where are they safe?”
A spokesman for the Charity Commission said: “We are aware of concerns about Childline’s service provision and are assessing the information to determine whether or not this is a matter for the Commission.”
An NSPCC spokesman said: “Childline is – and has always been – here for every child, no matter the issue or concern. Our trained counsellors provide support and impartial advice to children and young people to explore their feelings in a non-directive way. They offer advice on how to cope with worries, how to discuss concerns with trusted adults in their lives and they signpost to available external support. We stand by our approach.”
