Re: Julian

In *Re: Julian*, the applicants, the parents of a child diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria, sought a court declaration that their 16-year-old child was Gillick competent to consent to Stage Two treatment for Gender Dysphoria. The child's treating medical experts and parents supported the commencement of this treatment.

The central legal issue before the court was to assess whether the 16-year-old child possessed the requisite Gillick competence to consent to the proposed medical treatment. This involved determining if the child had a sufficient understanding and intelligence to enable him to understand as much as an adult of his own age could be expected to understand of the nature and implications of the proposed treatment.

Thornton J applied the principles of Gillick competence, considering the child's maturity, intelligence, and understanding of the proposed treatment, including its benefits, risks, and alternatives. The court was satisfied that the child was able to understand the nature and implications of Stage Two treatment for Gender Dysphoria and was therefore competent to consent to it.

The court made orders authorising the child to make his own decision regarding Stage Two treatment for Gender Dysphoria.