Skip to main content

Safeguarding

Single Point of Access (SPA) Team

The Single Point of Access is a multi agency team, managed by Achieving for Children, who work closely with a wide range of teams and partner agencies and facilitates different levels of support depending on the needs of the child, young person and their family.

This support includes:

  • Providing professional with consultation and support
  • Making referrals to partner agencies
  • Access to Early Help Services within AfC
  • Making referrals to Children’s Social Care Services.
About the team

The Single Point of Access team is made up of different professionals with different areas of expertise who work together to assess, decide and coordinate how best to support children, young people and their families were there are concerns.

Team members:
  • Contact and Information Officers receive your calls and can provide information, advice and guidance
  • Social Workers assess the needs or concerns raised about a child or young person
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health clinician(s) triage referrals made to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Teams
  • Police Officers assess information and notifications about children and young people coming to the attention of the Police
  • Adult Social Workers share information and advise how best to respond to concerns relating vulnerable adults caring for children or young people
  • Health Visitor advises on the developmental needs of children under 5 with additional needs that are referred to the SPA to ensure they receive the most appropriate support

When the Single Point of Access is contacted about a child or young person they will decide within 24 hours about what action should be taken next.

To help the team make an informed decision they may contact you or other agencies for further information.

The Single Point of Access will feedback to the person who initially made contact with the Single Point of Access within 72 hours to let them know of their decision and the next steps.

Making a referral online

Making a referral if you are a parent or a carer (opens a new window)

Making a referral if you are a professional (opens a new window)

(opens pages on the Richmond Council website - the form can be used for both Kingston and Richmond boroughs).

Contact us by phone

The Single Point of Access team is available from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Call us on 020 8547 5008, or if you need to speak to someone urgently after hours or at the weekend, call the ‘Out of Hours’ team on 020 8770 5000.
 

Urgent calls

Call 999 if you think a child or young person is in immediate danger.

The Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership

The Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership KRSCP is a statutory body which is responsible for ensuring that all agencies working with children, young people and families work well together to promote children’s safety and welfare. The boards coordinate the work of local agencies and check their quality to ensure children’s safeguarding is effective. 

The KRSCP monitors and reviews child protection and child safety policies, procedures and practices. They coordinate and provide inter-agency training for staff across the boroughs who work with children and families. Their job is to have an overview of how effectively children are safeguarded and identify improvements where necessary. 

Local Partners in Kingston and Richmond have responded to the statutory changes outlined in the Wood Review by refreshing our local partnership safeguarding children arrangements. These arrangements were published in June 2019 and will came into full effect at the end of September 2019. The Partnership will now be known as Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership and will ensure that everyone working in Kingston and Richmond with children and their families, as outlined in Working Together 2018.

Visit the Kingston and Richmond Safeguarding Children Partnership (KRSCP) website