A social worker was allegedly removed from his position as a family’s guardian after refusing to use “they/them” pronouns to refer to a child.
Charles Plummer, who previously worked for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) as a social worker, said he was stripped of the role after concerns were raised by a school and local authority about his use of pronouns.
Mr Planner, a former family court adviser, insisted he always used they/them to address the child in person, but used she/her when writing up official records as the non-binary term had made safeguarding documents “incomprehensible”.
“Professional practice within child safeguarding requires clear, precise and non-ideological language,” he told The Telegraph.
The social worker said he had made the child’s mother aware of his decision to use she/her pronouns in documents, with the mother said to have been “entirely accepting of this” and had “understood my reasoning” for doing so.
Mr Plummer resigned from Cafcass earlier this year and is now taking action to demand the public body suspend its transgender guidance.
Bayswater Support Group and an unnamed third claimant have joined Mr Plummer’s complaint.
Their claim accuses Cafcass of exhibiting “contested propositions” about gender identity “as though they represent settled professional practice”, according to a pre-action letter seen by The Telegraph.
According to the body’s official guidance, social workers are instructed to use a transgender child’s new name and pronouns to “not invalidate the gender in which the child identifies”.
It also declares that no child should be made to hide their transgender identity to “please a parent”.
The guidance states: “Some parents simply do not accept that transgender people exist and carry prejudice and bigotry that they project onto their child.
“In that dynamic, the child cannot be themselves and may become homeless or be abused by the parent or other family members and child protection issues arise.”
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“Evidence shows that young people who have parents/wider family who are supportive of their transgender identity are more likely to have good mental health, including improved outcomes,” the document adds.
Mr Plummer claimed he was told by senior officials that Cafcass “cannot be gender-critical”.
He also said he was accused of causing “clear reputational damage” to the public body in an internal email, before the case had been transferred to another social worker.
After being appointed as a guardian for a family in February 2024, an authority social worker warned her manager about the “impact” of Mr Plummer’s use of she/her pronouns on the child.
Following additional complaints from the child’s school, Mr Plummer was removed from the case entirely.
He said: “Cafcass does vital work in helping the family courts to make the best welfare decisions and achieving the best possible outcomes for society’s most vulnerable children.
“However, the guidance as it currently stands does not allow practitioners to exercise appropriate professional curiosity or properly consider the many risk factors that may underlie a child’s presenting gender distress from established child development perspectives.
“It’s ‘affirmation only’ for the child and suspicion for parents who have the same concerns.”
Confirming it had received the pre-action letter, a Cafcass spokesman said: “Cafcass practitioners have a statutory duty to safeguard children and promote their welfare throughout proceedings.
“Our guidance on working with children and gender identity is intended to provide advice and assistance to those practitioners working with children and young people who are exploring and/or questioning their identity in respect of gender.
“It is therefore directly relevant to understanding and promoting their welfare and providing advice to the family court.
“The role of the Cafcass officer also includes enabling children to have a voice in and to influence their proceedings.
“This means supporting them to express who they are, what is important and special about them and making sure this is clear in reports and in advice about future arrangements.”
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