LGA responds to £1.7m funding for national FGM centre

Responding to today’s announcement of £1.7m in government funding for the National FGM Centre, Cllr Simon Blackburn, Chair of the Safer and Stronger Communities Board at the Local Government Association, which runs the Centre, together with Barnardo’s, said:

“This renewed funding is great news for the National FGM Centre and its vital work to end this horrific form of abuse in the UK.

“Social work provision to girls and families affected by FGM has been quickly and significantly improved through the intervention of Centre social workers, embedded in council safeguarding teams, and hundreds of referrals have been received in areas that previously only recorded a handful of cases each year.

“This funding boost validates its pioneering prevention and intervention work and follows an independent evaluation hailing the Centre’s positive impact in communities where FGM is practiced.

"It will allow the Centre to continue its specialist prevention and intervention work, modelling good practice, sharing expert knowledge and building trusting relationships with families and communities with which they are engaged for at least the next three years."