Home Office unveils statutory FGM guidance
Neil Puffett
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Statutory guidance for how children's social workers, doctors, police and teachers should deal with suspected cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) has been published by government as part of attempts to protect potential victims.
A draft version of the guidance, which has been put out to public consultation, sets out how to identify both victims of FGM and those at risk of the procedure, as well as how to respond appropriately and support victims.
Running to 55 pages in length, it features a section on the mandatory reporting duty for FGM that will come into force in October.
It also features a section on new FGM protection orders, which became available earlier this month, and how they can be applied for.
"New statutory guidance will help to increase awareness of FGM and improve compliance with good practice in order to increase referrals and reports to the police and afford victims of this terrible abuse the greatest possible protection," a consultation document published today states.
"It will mean public sector organisations will, at a senior level, be able to recognise their responsibilities, when providing and assuring services, as well as clarifying frontline responsibilities.
"Putting the guidelines on a statutory footing will also make clear the importance of training, particularly in public sector organisations, to ensure staff have the expertise they need to identify and report these problems as appropriate."
