Child protection

The SPA is one year old! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the ongoing success of the service.
David Saunders, SPA Manager.

What to do if you are concerned about a child

  • If you or a child are in immediate danger you should always phone 999.

If you have concerns about a child or young person under the age of 18, you should report your concerns to the Single Point of Access on 020 8891 7969* or complete the referral to SPA form. If you are completing the online form, please make sure you are completing it in a secure environment. The information provided will be held and used by the authority to provide appropriate services resulting from the request.

  • Outside of office hours, at weekends and on public holidays, you can phone the Emergency Duty Team on 020 8744 2442.
  • We also work closely with the local police. They have a specialist team who deal with Child Protection. You can contact them on 020 8247 6331.
  • If you do not know whether to report your concerns you can phone the NSPCC where you can speak in confidence. Their helpline number is 0808 800 5000.
  • You can text the NSPCC anonymously on 88858.

Contacting the SPA

Phone: 020 8891 7969
Email: spa@richmond.gov.uk

1st Floor, Civic Centre,
44 York Street
Twickenham
TW1 3BZ

Our hours are:

Monday to Thursday - 9.00am to 5.15pm
Friday - 9.00am to 5.00pm

Out of hours please contact the Emergency Duty Team on 020 8744 2442

*If you are a member of the public, you will be asked for your name, address and details of the child and the concerns you have. This information is required are to assist the SPA team to make further enquiries and to contact you again if necessary. Information about your name and address will be kept confidential and not be disclosed to members of the family in question without consent.

The SPA Service

The SPA team work closely with the Initial Response Team and the Family Support Service to:

  • Collate and record information where concerns have been raised regarding a child or young person
  • Co-ordinating referrals and brokering support from a range of services to make sure needs are met appropriately  
  • Confirm whether a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) has been completed for a child or young person
  • Provide advice and guidance in relation to the CAF process and monitoring of CAF activity    
  • Identify any gaps in service provision to help further service development
  • Improve how all agencies communicate and work together by facilitating information sharing

Background to the SPA

The local authority is committed to protecting the children and young people who live and/or attend school in Richmond, and promoting their wellbeing by providing effective services to all children.

To make sure all children with additional needs are identified early, referred to appropriate services, and monitored through effective information sharing between agencies and professionals, the local authority established the Single Point of Access (SPA)(pdf, 1037KB). As the central information hub, the SPA is the first point of contact for all safeguarding issues into Children Services. This creates consistency in decision making and thresholds and makes sure that there is co-ordination and information sharing between services. Our aim is that families receive an appropriate service as swiftly as possible.

Find out how well the SPA performed:

SPA feedback form

To help improve the service, please take a few minutes to complete the feedback form to tell us about your experiences with the SPA.

Local Safeguarding Children Board

The Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) has the overall responsibility for safeguarding children and young people in Richmond upon Thames. The LSCB is made up of representatives from the Council's Children Services, the Metropolitan Police, local health service, mental health services and the legal profession, working together to safeguard all children who live in or go to school in Richmond upon Thames.

The LSCB web pages list guidance and advice for professionals.

The LSCB offers a full training programme for professionals working with children and young people. For more information see the safeguarding training page.