Agenda item

The cabinet response to the Overview and Scrutiny report on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is enclosed in the main agenda.

Officers will present an update on work being done to prevent FGM – an update report is enclosed in the supplemental agenda.

Clarissa Cupid, designated nurse safeguarding lead, and multi agency lead for the FGM presented the report. She referred to the ongoing partnership work detailed; the development of the community profile that the scrutiny review recommended and highlighted the success of the work with Rotherhithe School.

Members then raised the following issues:

•  When will the training for frontline workers be delivered?  The safeguarding lead nurse said that this is being developed with the council and will be rolled out in September.

•  When will further schools be worked with? The safeguarding lead nurse said the partnership is looking at another couple of schools to work with. They want to find schools in the areas where FGM work is most needed. There are also ‘sharing information’ issues to resolve.

•  What about the scrutiny review recommendation that follow up work be done with the High Commissions, particularly concerning children at risk of being taken out of the country?  The safeguarding lead nurse confirmed that they have been contacted but more needs to be done to progress this.

•  Will there be work with girls and young girls to promote bodily integrity and human rights? The safeguarding lead nurse said there has been a very affective leaflet produced by Rotherhithe School that had led to girls and boys raising FGM with parents and saying they did not want this to happen to their sisters. This will be developed.

•  Given school governors now need to be aware of FGM a member recommended that school governors receive a training module. The safeguarding lead welcomed this suggestion and remarked this could be integrated into the developing training programme.