Agenda item

Mark Norris, Senior Adviser, updated the Board on the work of the FGM Task and Finish Group since the last Board meeting. He explained that officers continued to work on an amendment to the Serious Crime Bill to make it an offence to promote or encourage FGM.

Mar added that the three organisations who have taken part in the Task and Finish Group, NSPCC, FORWARD and The British Arab Federation, had agreed to assist with the lobbying around the amendment. At the same time officers would be contacting voluntary sector organisations working on FGM in communities to see if they had evidence which would support the case for the amendment.

The Board were informed that the LGA would conduct an audit of referrals into children’s services and then make a bid to the Department for Education’s Children’s Social Care Innovation Programme to develop a specialist FGM service.

In addition the Board were reminded that the FGM Conference was to be held on 14 October, where the LGA was to launch its FGM guide for Councillors.

Members welcomed the report. They noted that there needed to be work across councils to address the issue and commented that there had been real progress in their areas in tackling FGM. For example in Coventry there was now a Muslim women’s group who discussed FGM, while the British Arab Federation was also helping link up with communities and mosques in Lewisham to work to change practices. Members commented that it was useful to have a list of questions Councillors could ask their Director of Public Health when performing their scrutiny role, and requested that hard copies of the guide were provided.

Action:

Officers to invite Cllr Joanna Spicer to the next FGM Task and Finish Group.

Officers to look into the viability of producing hard copies of the FGM guide.

Decision:

Members noted the report.