Keeping Safe

What to do if you are concerned about a child - ‘The welfare of the child is paramount’

At Meadlands, keeping pupils safe and ensuring that every child reaches their potential is at the heart of 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 Policies for both adults and for children, pur Online Safety Policy and our most recent Safeguarding Audit on our policies page.

You can tell us about a child, young person or parent/carer that needs support in some way by contacting our Safeguarding Lead, Mrs Taunton-Johnson or our Safeguarding Deputy, Mrs Jolene Gee. Contact can be made via the School Office or alternatively speaking to one of us at drop off / pick up time. You may be concerned about the child's developmental needs, issues that the parent or carer is experiencing, or you may suspect a child is being neglected or subjected to physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

Our duty is outlined in detail within the Government document ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, click here. 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 with SPA (see below) if there are concerns that a child is at risk or when a child has made an allegation. It is always our aim to share our concerns openly 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 020 88547 5008 during office hours.

• Call the out of hours Duty Team (evenings and weekends) on 020 8770 5000.

• 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 office hours, please call the Duty Social Worker 020 8744 2442.

Who are the adults in charge of keeping children safe?

Mrs Sarah Taunton-Johnson

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Designated Teacher for Looked After Children (LAC)  & Post LAC Children

Mrs Jolene Gee

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Leigh Chapman

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (Early Intervention)

Mrs Chloe Walkom

Senior Governor Designated Safeguarding Lead

Ms Komal Parekh

Governor Designated Safeguarding Lead

Further information: Mental Health, Keeping Children Safe, Domestic Abuse, Financial Support, Online Safety, Drug and Alcohol Dependency

If you or someone you know is suffering there are many professionals who will be able to help you. You are very welcome to come in to school to speak to Mrs Mrs Taunton-Johnson, Mrs Gee or Mrs Chapman.  Alternatively you may find the links on this page helpful:

Support for Parents & Families CLICK HERE

Safeguarding Event for families

Each year we hold a safeguarding event for parents known as 'In Safe Hands'. The purpose of In Safe Hands is to ensure that the whole community, including the children themselves, understand what safeguarding children is. Secondly, it connects parents and professionals so that children, young people and their families know where to find help if they are experiencing difficult times. 

Parents are surveyed months in advance of the event to find out what the community's key issues are. Please look out for more information in the autumn term.