Institute 4: Trans Children and Youth in the Family Court System
Transgender children and youth are among the most vulnerable served by family court professionals. Participants in this institute will learn about the legal, social, spiritual-religious, medical, and psychological challenges faced by transgender children and youth, and their family members, and how more affirming and supportive experiences can be fostered. Topics will include: (1) gender affirming care; (2) relevant laws and precedents regarding transgender rights and health care decisions; (3) addressing conflicting laws when there are inter-jurisdictional disputes; (4) legal, social, and psychological impacts of anti-trans movements; (5) evidence-based standards and expert testimony regarding gender-affirming care; and (6) working with others to support gender-affirming care and transgender rights. This institute will provide the opportunity for small-group discussion of case situations, ethical-legal conflicts, and practical approaches to concerns that may arise in practice. In collaboration with the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

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* 1. Based on the content of this session, I am able to: (1=Strongly disagree, 5=Strongly agree)

  1 2 3 4 5
1. Describe experiences that transgender and gender diverse (TGD) youth and their families may have before (or outside of) the legal system.
2. Identify different types of “transition,” including social, legal, medical, and surgical.
3. Describe what to expect from healthcare providers supporting TGD children/youth and their families regarding appropriateness of care.
4. Describe gender-affirming care, including its key components and its importance to transgender and gender-diverse children and youth who may be involved in the family court system.
5. Discuss the varying nuances of capacity to consent, parental consent, and approaches in different jurisdictions.
6. Discuss how to help families gain access to gender-affirming care and manage potential barriers to such care in their jurisdictions.
7. Identify factors to be considered in balancing parental rights to autonomously raise their children and the court’s obligation to address the best interests of those children, including the role of courts in these disputes, and judicial restraint in exercising its authority.
8. Examine the conflict between the understanding of the needs of transgender children and state-imposed identity requirements.

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* 2. Please rate presenter: Allan E. Barsky, PhD, JD (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

  1 2 3 4 5
Level of knowledge and expertise
Teaching ability
Maintained my interest
Was responsive to questions, comments and opinions

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* 3. Please rate presenter: Lavanya Regunathan Fischer, LLM, LSE (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

  1 2 3 4 5
Level of knowledge and expertise
Teaching ability
Maintained my interest
Was responsive to questions, comments and opinions

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* 4. Please rate presenter: John McKendrick, KC (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

  1 2 3 4 5
Level of knowledge and expertise
Teaching ability
Maintained my interest
Was responsive to questions, comments and opinions

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* 5. Please rate presenter: Hon. Dianna J. Gould-Saltman (Ret) (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

  1 2 3 4 5
Level of knowledge and expertise
Teaching ability
Maintained my interest
Was responsive to questions, comments and opinions

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* 6. Please rate presenter: Brandy Brown, DSW, LCSW (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

  1 2 3 4 5
Level of knowledge and expertise
Teaching ability
Maintained my interest
Was responsive to questions, comments and opinions

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* 7. The content of the presentation was consistent with the abstract in the conference brochure

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* 8. Please rate this session presentation overall (1=Poor, 5=Excellent)

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* 9. How much did you learn as a result of this CE program? (1=Very little, 5=Great deal)

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* 10. Information presented in this session reflected the most current evidence on this topic (1=Disagree, 5=Agree)

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* 11. How useful was the content of this CE program for your practice or other professional development (1=Not useful, 5=Extremely useful)

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* 12. Additional Comments

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