Just one word of caution here. As some of you will know I have a very close friend who used to be one of the psychiatrists at Charing Cross. Not to put too fine a point on it he has some "interesting" views on Dr Barratt.
Now allowing for the fact that his opinion is probably coloured slightly by the fact that they had a ratehr public falling out, my sense from both him, and others I have heard speak, and who know Barratt, is that he is possibly the least sympathetic of all the doctors who are there and the one that if you can avoid it you really don't want to have to deal with.
I believe he has helped some people but I have also heard him described as a serial tormentor of trans folks. He has a bit of a reputation for changing his mind saying one thing to your face and another later on when he writes a letter. This can make it difficult to know where you stand with him. So if there is any possibility that there is some other doctor on the CXH team that they would allow you to see then I think it might be easier. I think Barratt is currently the head of department there which is possibly why he was specifically named, but there are other well respected doctors there. Now to be fair (and because I don't want to libel anyone) let me point out that any comments about Barratt are technically hearsay and are just an opinion not proven fact, but I think they are worth bearing in mind.
Anyway I hope and pray that you will get this all sorted out soon. It seems to me to be very odd, particularly given the fact that there are many succesful trans parents out there, and indeed Transpeople have been approved for adoption too. So your social workers seem to me to be treating you as though your problems are simply not trans related, either that or they are incredibly ignorant of what the normal attitudes to trans people are in the country these days.
Either way - I wish the very best of luck.
