Tag: safeguarding
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Children’s Development and the Questions Surrounding Sex and Gender
Children are not small adults. They are developing human beings whose cognitive, emotional, social and physical capacities change substantially as they grow. How children understand themselves and the world around them is therefore influenced by their stage of development, their relationships, their environment and the information available to them. These developmental realities matter when adults…
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Child Safeguarding and the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act: What the HGY Decision Raises
A recent decision of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal raises an important question for child safeguarding and the future operation of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW): how should anti-discrimination protections interact with reasonable identity and background checks designed to protect children? The question arises from HGY v Secretary, Ministry of Health in respect of…
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The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: An Analysis
“Children’s rights” and “the best interests of the child” are constantly invoked in Australian debates about medical treatment of minors, parental authority, identity, adoption and surrogacy. They are less often read. The Convention on the Rights of the Child does not supply simple answers to these questions. It supplies a framework that has to be…
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The Case of Dr Jillian Spencer: Clinical Concerns, Safeguarding and Professional Freedom
Questions surrounding the medical treatment of children experiencing gender-related distress remain the subject of significant scientific and professional debate. Systematic reviews in several countries have found the evidence for puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones in this cohort to be of low or very low certainty. In this context, the ability of clinicians to raise evidence-based…
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Who Are Breastfeeding Organisations For? Mothers, Babies and the Importance of Safeguarding
Breastfeeding support organisations were created for a simple purpose: to support mothers and babies. For decades, women gathered in these spaces to discuss pregnancy, birth, breastfeeding, maternal health, and the challenges of caring for newborn children. They were built on shared female experience and a common focus on infant wellbeing. Increasingly, however, many of these…