It is now acknowledged that early years staff play a vital role in detecting cases of FGM but there are concerns about the lack of training that has been given to nursery staff, who are well placed to spot the signs and symptoms.
When a child has been cut, frequency of passing urine, complaints of abdominal pain, or a child being withdrawn or angry can be key signs that FGM has been carried out. An evaluation of an FGM project that I conducted throughout Greater Manchester, providing FGM training to the police and professionals, found that 90 per cent had not received training and that 90 per cent of participants did not know how to manage the safeguarding aspects of FGM.
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