Last month saw the introduction of mandatory reporting for "known" cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) in under-18s. The new duty will compel all teachers, social workers and health professionals (health visitors, GPs and midwives, for example) to make a formal report to police if they observe, while doing their job, girls who have undergone an FGM procedure, or a young person discloses to them that they have been a victim of it.
Once a report has been made, the case will be referred to multi-agency safeguarding procedures for investigation. As a result, the new duty - necessary and laudable though it is - will almost certainly lead to a rise in the amount of FGM safeguarding work that comes through to children's social care services. With funding set to seep out of children's services over the next three years, many have been left asking where the resources will come from to meet the anticipated rise in demand linked to FGM mandatory reporting.
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