Welcome

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a serious form of abuse. Staff in children's homes may be the first to notice concerns because they observe daily behaviour, family contact, travel plans, distress after visits and changes in health or mood.

This course is for residential child care workers, senior staff, waking-night staff, team leaders and managers in children's homes. It is an awareness and safeguarding course, not a clinical assessment course. Staff must not examine a child, investigate a family or determine legal outcomes. Their role is to notice, listen, record, report and support.

This is a UK-wide course. FGM is illegal across the UK, but legislation, mandatory reporting duties, protection orders and safeguarding procedures differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Always follow your home's safeguarding policy, local authority arrangements and nation-specific procedure.

What this course covers

• What FGM is: the definition, the main types and why it is abuse.
• Risk and indicators: signs before FGM and signs that it may already have happened.
• Safe response: how to respond to disclosures without probing or promising secrecy.
• Law and escalation: known cases, suspected risk, immediate danger and four-nations routes.
• Support and records: dignity, privacy, specialist help, factual recording and information sharing.

The safest response is not to investigate. It is to recognise the concern, protect the child, record clearly and escalate through the right safeguarding route.