New legal duty to report cases or suspicions of FGM

Are your staff aware that a new mandatory reporting duty for FGM (female genital mutilation) came into force in October 2015? Do teachers and front-line staff understand the implications of this new legal duty? Have you integrated the requirements of this new duty within your safeguarding policy and within safeguarding training?

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) covers all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia for non-medical reasons. FGM is a form of child abuse and violence against women and has been illegal in England and Wales since 2003

A new duty, in force from October 2015, requires teachers and other staff working in schools and colleges to report ‘known’ cases of FGM in under 18s to the police. ‘Known’ cases are those where either a female informs a member of staff that an act of FGM – however described – has been carried out on her, or where the staff member observes physical signs that indicate that an act of FGM  has taken place.

Mary Wandia, FGM programme manager at the human rights organisation Equality Now, said: ‘Our new official estimates show that 137,000 women and girls in England and Wales are either at risk of – or have undergone – FGM. This is child abuse on a huge scale. We finally have it on the agenda and can’t afford to lose momentum…recording and reporting FGM is the only way that we will get a clearer sense of who needs to be supported and protected. Girls cannot afford to wait any longer. This is the time to take strong action to end this extreme violence once and for all’.

The government has published information for staff and employers. The guidance:

• explains the legal requirements
• suggests a process to follow
• provides an overview of action that may be taken if staff or an employer fails to comply with the duty
• gives answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs)

You can download the document here