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Our Vision: every child safe, supported and successful

About Us

The Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership (MSCP) works together to agree how local child protection services are carried out. The Partnership is also responsible for monitoring the performance of local agencies’ arrangements for safeguarding children as set out in section 11 of the Children Act 2004.

It is chaired by an Independent Person and has members from local services and people who represent the local community. The interim Independent Person who serves as the Chair of Partnership meetings is Ms Aileen Buckton.

The Merton Safeguarding Children’s Partnership works closely with other organisations such as the Health and Well Being Board and the Merton Children’s Trust and other strategic partnerships across Merton.

The full Partnership meets three times a year and the business of the Partnership is carried out through the below Sub-Groups.

The MSCP provides a comprehensive training programme available to agencies across the partnership.

There is an Executive Group which ensures that the work of the MSCP and its Annual Business Plan are being achieved satisfactorily.

The partnership is supported by the MSCP Business Support Unit, which includes a Policy and Partnerships Manager, officers and administrators.

The Partnership will work with all agencies to ensure that there is a highly coordinated multi-agency and whole-council approach to a range of adolescent risks that occur in contexts beyond the family home (e.g. neighbourhood, schools, local shopping centres, youth venues etc.). These risks include child criminal exploitation, child sexual exploitation, serious youth violence, peer on peer abuse, harmful sexual behaviour and other overlapping form of harm. The Partnership is aware of the risks of exploitation in their local area.  

The Quality Assurance and Practice Review sub-group seeks to ensure children and young people are safeguarded and protected by overseeing the quality of multi-agency approaches to safeguard and promote the welfare of children living and learning in Merton. It does so by analysing data reported as part of the Partnership’s agreed performance framework as well as overseeing the quality assurance of multi-agency activities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children (including bi-annual s.11 audit activity). It oversees the Partnership’s statutory responsibilities in relation to the notification of serious incidents as well as the commissioning of independent or child safeguarding practice reviews where required.

The Policy and Training subgroup maintains oversight of all MSCP policies, multi-agency protocols and multi-agency guidance supplementing the London Child Protection Procedures and ensuring legislative changes and practice learning are reflected. It undertakes regular analyses of the safeguarding training needs of the agencies serving children and families in Merton as well as developing the MSCP Multi-Agency Training Programme (addressing the Partnership’s priorities, and to ensure that learning from local incidents is shared). Each year, the subgroup plans and delivers the MSCP Multi-Agency Annual Conference for practitioners and managers.

  •  Policy and Training Workplan
  • Sub-Group Chair: Allison Jones, Allison.Jones@merton.gov.uk
  • Business Unit Support: Hayley Carter, Hayley.Carter@merton.gov.uk

This work is part of a whole system approach and is based on a clear understanding of local need.  The Partnership’s priority is to ensure that there is clear coordination and quality assurance of early help and prevention work, with effective integration between the front door and a shared focus on the journey and experience of the child and family. The Partnership also works alongside other forums, such as CAMHS Board, to oversee the work of partner agencies to support and promote the mental health and wellbeing of children and their parents/carers. 

  • Workplan will be uploaded in due course.
  • Sub-Group Chair: Elizabeth Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth.Fitzpatrick@merton.gov.uk
  • Business Unit Support: Halima Mehmood, Halima.Mehmood@merton.gov.uk

The Safeguarding Partnership actively monitors, promotes, coordinates and evaluates the work of partner agencies to help and protect children at risk of domestic abuse and neglect, including working effectively with other multi-agency groups that have responsibility for responding to domestic abuse and neglect. 

  • The workplan will be uploaded in due course.
  • Sub-Group Chairs: Janet Edwards, janet.edwards@swlondon.nhs.uk  or Benedicta Ogeah, bogeah@nhs.net
  • Business Unit Support: Halima Mehmood, Halima.Mehmood@merton.gov.uk