PhD Studentship: Balancing reporting and the duty of care: how do midwives care for women who have undergone female genital mutilation

Bournemouth University

Full Project Title: Balancing reporting and the duty of care: how do midwives care for women who have undergone female genital mutilation?
This PhD studentship addresses an issue of national and international concern. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a procedure carried out to intentionally alter or cause injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. It has long term physical and psychological consequences and is estimated to affect approximately 137 000 women in the UK. Identifying an exact figure has been difficult but reporting has increased following changes to the Serious Crime Act placing a legal duty on professionals in health and social care to report cases of FGM to the police and support services. Following legislative changes in March 2015 the incidence of FGM has increased substantially, with more than 1000 new cases identified between April and June 2015.
Women who have undergone FGM are most likely to be identified through maternity services. NHS Trusts have responded by introducing pathways for women and specialist postnatal clinics. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust’s clinical pathway and perineal clinic provides treatment, support, information and education to women who had experienced FGM. All health professionals receive training on mandatory reporting, however it is midwives that have the greatest contact with women and are likely to report most cases. The challenge is to combine this new professional duty to report cases with the midwives’ duty of care towards the women.
Midwives are advocates for women and to do this effectively requires time to build a trusting relationship. Women who have been subjected to FGM are some of the most vulnerable women using the maternity services and for midwives to have to report cases of FGM to the police could be seen at odds with their philosophy of care. Women may fear using the maternity services for this reason resulting in non-attendance and exacerbating the problem.
This PhD studentship will use qualitative methods to understand the experiences of women affected by FGM and the midwives who care for them. The specific objectives of the study are to explore:
• the experiences of women with FGM using the maternity services;
• midwives’ experiences, in particular with regard to their dual role of safeguarding and care.
Women will be recruited through existing services. Semi structured interviews will be conducted with women to explore their experiences of care while accessing maternity services. Midwives will be interviewed using focus groups, because they provide a forum where participants can comfortably discuss a topic in-depth, enabling the researcher to uncover motivations and intensity of feelings that might not be evident through other survey methods. It may be appropriate to also conduct focus group interviews with other health care providers such as obstetricians and gynaecologists working in the perineal clinic. Interviews will be audio recorded, transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach. This systematic method of coding organises data using categories or ‘themes’ that arise during data collection. Emergent findings will be summarised and discussed with focus group participants to ensure credibility (i.e. participants recognise the findings as their own experiences).
Training Opportunities
The student will benefit from the expertise of the multidisciplinary team. Prof Hundley has over two decades of experience in midwifery research and will provide access to national and international networks. Dr Way is an expert in perineal care and repair. She is Chair of the RCM Board and will link the student with on-going national research in this area. Dr Fathi has a wealth of expertise in cultural studies and her work involving FGM among migrant communities will be invaluable to the student.
The training programme, overseen by Prof Hundley and co-supervisors, will have the following objectives: (1) Formal training in systematic reviewing through CMMPH’s Masterclass in Systematic Reviewing run by Profs Hundley and van Teijlingen;
(2) Formal training in qualitative interviewing and focus groups through BU’s Centre for Qualitative Research (CQR). CQR is internationally recognised in the field of qualitative health and social care. In addition, Dr Way and Dr Fathi have expertise in qualitative methods.
(3) Transferrable skills such as networking, communication and change management – developed through the process of establishing an advisory group and working to draw up a strategy in response to study findings. Guidance and support from PhD supervisors will ensure that the student is able to develop in these areas – and communication and presentation, which the student will develop these skills through seminars and conference presentations, and in preparing and submitting peer-reviewed publications.
SUPERVISORY TEAM
First Supervisor: Professor Vanora Hundley
Additional Supervisors: Dr Susan Way; Dr Mastoureh Fathi
Eligibility Criteria:
All candidates must satisfy the University’s minimum doctoral entry criteria for studentships of an honours degree at Upper Second Class (2:1) and/or an appropriate Masters degree. An IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 minimum (or equivalent) is essential for candidates for whom English is not their first language.
Additional Eligibility:
Applicant must be a midwife registered with the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council

Funding information

Funding applies to:

Open to applicants from a range of countries

Contacts and how to apply

Academic contact:

To discuss this opportunity further, please contact Professor Vanora Hundley via email: vhundley@bournemouth.ac.uk

Administrative contact and how to apply:

Please complete the online application form by 23rd May 2016. For further information and details of how to apply please see here.

Application deadline:

23 May 2016