Tasmanian Gender Service (TGS)

Tasmanian Gender Service (TGS) is a specialised service that offers help for children, young people and their families living in Tasmania who are experiencing gender-related issues.

We work closely with the Gender Service at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne and other specialist gender services across Australia.

• We recognise how complex someone's gender identity can be. 
• There is a huge range of diversity in how people feel about and express their gender. 
• Both young people and their families can experience some challenges in this process, which we can help with. 
• We always try to adopt a whole family approach.
• We are a small, state-wide multidisciplinary team, centred in Hobart. Our team includes a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Paediatrician, Paediatric Endocrinologist, Fertility Specialist and Paediatric Registrars.
• There is a possibility that you may need to travel to Hobart or participate in a Telehealth consultation. We will let you know about this when your referral is received.
• If appropriate, children may also be referred to and seen by an allied health professional (social worker, occupational therapist, speech pathologist).
• The TGS provides care consistent with The Australian Standards of Care and Treatment Guidelines for Trans and Gender Diverse Children and Adolescents (Version 1.3, 2020).

We also offer advice and support to other professionals working with children/young people and their families and schools about how best to support children/young people experiencing issues related to their gender.

What services do we offer?

• The TGS is for people 17 years and under. If you are older, you can access our Transgender services through our Sexual Health Service instead.
• TGS offers advice, assessment, and treatment for children and young people experiencing significant difficulties with either being gender diverse* (wanting to express their gender in different ways) or experiencing gender dysphoria* (feeling uncomfortable with their gender assigned at birth). 
• We provide psychological support, fertility counselling, gender affirming medical interventions (puberty blockers and gender affirming hormones).
• Not all young people experiencing gender dysphoria or gender variance will need to be seen by the TGS. However, if medical treatment is required, you will need to be seen by the TGS.

How to make an appointment

• We require a referral from a GP, paediatrician or psychiatrist to the "Tasmanian Gender Service" via paediatric outpatients at the Royal Hobart Hospital
  
  Paediatric Outpatient Clinics
  GPO Box 1061, HOBART TAS 7001, Australia
  Facsimile: (03) 6173 0469
• Once the referral is received, we will aim to contact you as soon as possible. It is difficult to say how long it will take for you to be seen.
• We strongly encourage you to develop an ongoing relationship with your GP throughout this process. We will always keep them informed. Your GP may be required to provide the young person with a mental health care plan, if appropriate.

Values and ethos

• We aim to be non-judgmental, respectful and supportive of your family’s unique and individual needs.
• We encourage young people to express themselves freely in whatever way makes them feel comfortable and recognise a wide diversity in sexual and gender identities.
• We aim to maintain hope for the future.
• We aim to help young people manage the uncertainty of how their gender/ feelings may change.
• We aim to be inclusive and collaborative with your family throughout the process.
• We have a holistic approach and can offer help for emotional, behavioural and relationship difficulties that young people and their families may be experiencing.

Research, consultation and training

To improve the service, we offer to young people and their families, we occasionally research what is working well and what isn't. 

If this is the case, we will let you know, and you are free to opt-out if you wish.

Contact information

Referral from GP and Paediatrician please send to:

Paediatric Outpatient Clinics
GPO Box 1061, HOBART TAS 7001, Australia
Facsimile: (03) 6173 0469
Phone: (03) 6166 0000

Tasmanian Families wishing to contact the service (please do not email referrals):

Via Paediatric Outpatient Clinics
Phone: (03) 6166 0000
 

For people aged 17 and above

Help can be accessed at:

• Toll-Free Number: 1800 675 859 (for use from landline only)
• Clinic 60: 60 Collins Street, Hobart, TAS, 7000. Ph. 03 6166 2672
• Clinic 34: 34 Howick Street, Launceston, TAS, 7250. Ph. 03 6777 1371

We appreciate there are many different terms used to describe gender and that the descriptive words used on this page may not be your preferred ones. We will always ask you how you would best like to describe your gender and issues when seen.

Download a guide to the Tasmanian Gender Service