THE parents of a transgender teenager who died by suicide have called for greater support for children and families awaiting care.

A jury at the inquest of 15-year-old Jason Pulman concluded in April that systemic failures by services supporting him could have contributed to his death.

Born a girl, Jason was referred to the Gender Identity Development Service by his GP in February 2020 and told in October of that year that he faced a 26-month wait for his first appointment.

His stepfather Mr Pulman said that Jason appeared to have “given up” in the months before his death.

His family said that other factors had affected him, including mental health problems and self-medication with alcohol and drugs.

His mother said: “They need so much more resources and not to have one appointment that’s years away. There needs to be regular input with these kids, so it’s not just about their gender, it’s about their mental health overall.”

Some 5,700 children are waiting for appointments with NHS gender care services.

Mr Pulman added that knowledge from families who have had experiences such as theirs should be used to help others.

“Why has the government not contacted families like us and said: ‘What do we do?’,” he asked. “Because they’re not experts in transgender, I can tell you.”

On NHS care, he recommended to others:“Take charge of the system, don’t let the system take charge of you.

“Never take it on face value that this [appointment] is going to be the answer to your problems, because there’s going to be more support needed, like counselling for the whole family.”