Our ask
| Gateway Health Gender Service receives $50,000 per year through Healthy Equal Youth funding but the program costs considerably more. An annual co-contribution has been provided by Gateway Health since its inception, along with small donations from community fundraising from families. In current times, money is becoming harder to find and the service is not sustainable. If the service closes more than 90 families will be left without support, other than travelling to Melbourne and increasing demand on the Royal Children’s Hospital. | $120,000 pa (indexed annually) |
Our model’s strength is its integrated, multidisciplinary approach including nursing, paediatrics and psychiatry. We work closely with families and ensure opportunities for social connection, inclusion and support. The young people and their families have continued to help us refine our model through an active Community Reference Group.
Our impact
The Gateway Health Gender Service has been operating since 2017 and started from a significant consultation by the WayOut Wodonga project. The consultation was undertaken with service providers and community and identified significant gaps in the local service system for access to trans and gender diverse care.
Young people who disclose concerns regarding gender identity have historically been referred directly to the Royal Children’s Hospital Gender Service in Melbourne. This is a 3.5-hour one-way trip for appointments and the waitlist has been up to 12 months. However, it is the only comprehensive specialist clinic in Australia and access to the service can be challenging for young people and families, especially for those with limited support.
Given the lack of an appropriate framework for gender services in regional Victoria, the Gateway Health Gender Service model was developed. It was informed by consultation with community, services and clinicians locally and statewide, including the Royal Children’s Hospital. It’s understood to be the first in regional Australia. The Gender Service was evaluated in 2019 by the University of Melbourne and is regularly reviewed. The Gender Service delivers trans and gender diverse care consistent with Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents.
The wraparound program has assisted more than 400 young people and their families. It has improved access to publicly funded specialised trans and gender diverse health care and pathways for children and their families (biological and chosen), carers and guardians within the Ovens and Murray region, Murrumbidgee Local Health District and other areas of rural Victoria. It meets a need for complex, multidisciplinary care and advice for a population of regional and rural clients and their families that are historically underserviced, marginalised, denied service or experienced significant access restrictions for services.