Children's Mental Health: Listen Up - New Year Conference Special (Part 1)

The Royal College of Psychiatrists Podcast

In this New Year special episode, Dr Elaine Lockhart sits down with Baroness Hilary Cass to discuss her pivotal role in chairing the independent review into gender identity services for children and young people. She explores the background and growing need for the review, addressing the rise in referrals, key findings, and her recommendations for providing holistic, evidence-based care. Dr Cass highlights the importance of understanding the diverse needs of young people in this sensitive area of healthcare. Meanwhile, Dr Asilay Seker sits down with Dr Saam Idelji-Tehrani to examine the underrepresentation of minoritised ethnic groups in mental health services, focusing on a significant study conducted at Great Ormond Street. Saam discusses the potential impact of unconscious bias in triage processes, barriers to accessing care, and the pressing need for improved data collection on ethnicity. He emphasises the importance of addressing intersectionality and the broader implications of these findings for research and practice.