2018 - 2019
Designated Safeguarding Lead & Designated Teacher for Looked After Children (LAC) & Post LAC Children: Mrs McGeoch
Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead: Miss Mace
Governor Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Fiona Stewart
Governor Designated Safeguarding Lead: Mrs Annabelle Hughes
Keeping Safe
What to do if you are concerned about a child - ‘The welfare of the child is paramount’
At Meadlands, keeping children safe and ensuring that every child reaches their potential underpins everything we do. Occasionally, things go wrong for our children and their families and we take our responsibility for the children in our care very seriously and we are here to help, support and guide as best we can. You can read our Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and our Online Safety Policy and our most recent Safeguarding Audit on our policies page here.
Our duty is outlined in detail within the document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, 2018, HM Government here. In essence we have a duty to record and report concerns and work alongside local agencies to ensure children are adequately safeguarded from harm.
All details are treated confidentially and will only be shared if there are concerns that a child is at risk. It is always our aim to share our concerns transparently with the child’s parent or guardian before making a referral. However, we reserve our right to refer without consent if we are sufficiently concerned about a child’s safety or we are unable to contact the parent/guardian after reasonable attempts have been made.
Single Point of Access (SPA)
You can also tell Richmond and Kingston Children’s Services, managed by Achieving for Children, about a child, young person or parent/carer that needs support in some way by contacting their Single Point of Access Team (SPA).
Richmond and Kingston SPA (Single Point of Access)
Call us on 020 88547 5008 during office hours.
Call the out of hours Duty Team (evenings and weekends) on 020 8744 2442.
Report your concerns online
In an emergency if you think a child is in immediate danger you should call 999.
If you need to speak to someone urgently outside of office hours, please call the Duty Social Worker 020 8744 2442.
Safeguarding Outreach work
Each year we hold a safeguarding event for parents 'In Safe Hands'. In Safe Hands is a community safeguarding initiative created by Mrs Colclough and recognised by the NSPCC and leading Child Protection law firm Farrer & Co as an example of innovative practice. In Safe Hands seeks to ensure that the whole community, including the children themselves, understand what safeguarding children is. Secondly, it seeks to ensure that parents and professionals become well-networked, in order that children, young people and their families seek help and support early so they know where to find help and support if they are experiencing difficult times. The model is now being disseminated across Richmond and Kingston and beyond with the most recent events at Hollyfield and Ham Youth Centre. This year at Meadlands, our event welcomed Ted Talk Speaker and Vlogger Tom Boon amongst others to discuss digital resilience and keeping our young people safe online.