Jamie's Farm

Therapeutic Settings

Safeguarding training that fits the way we actually work at Jamie’s Farm

Organisation

Jamie's Farm — residential therapeutic farm settings for young people

Scale

6 farms across England and Wales, approximately 80 staff

ISS support

Bespoke DSL training across all sites, trustee training, policy development, ongoing case advice

Partnership

Mainstream schools, alternative provision settings, local authority virtual school teams

Jamie's Farm runs six residential farm settings across England and Wales — near Bath, Monmouth, Hereford, Lewes, and Skipton — working with teenagers who are experiencing significant challenges in their lives. Young people come for a week-long residential stay, working alongside animals, growing and preparing food, and building the kind of sense of belonging and purpose that many have not found in a school setting. With around 80 staff and partnerships with mainstream schools, alternative provision settings, and local authority virtual school teams, safeguarding sits at the heart of everything the organisation does.

When school-focused training isn't enough

Katie Meanwell, Head of Safeguarding, oversees DSLs across all six farms. She first encountered Independent Safeguarding Service at a training day run by education charity The Difference, where members of the team from Independent Service were leading a session. Having attended perhaps 10-15 safeguarding training sessions before, she immediately recognised something different.

"I had been to probably 10 or 15 safeguarding trainings prior to that. The team from ISS were so clear with everything they were saying, they made the material really engaging, and had a way of emphasising the importance of this area of our work. I found that I could ask any question and really feel like I was getting a useful, valuable answer — with examples and context."

Katie Meanwell - Head of Safeguarding

Most safeguarding training, Katie explains, is designed for schools. For an organisation like Jamie's Farm — residential, therapeutic, and operating in a very different environment — that creates a persistent gap between the content and the context.

"Almost all of the training out there is designed for schools. There's always a big chunk of it that is not relevant to our organisation. What really stood out with Independent Safeguarding Service was the fact that the training was made really bespoke to our needs."

Katie Meanwell - Head of Safeguarding

After that first session with Independent Safeguarding Service, Katie knew she had found something different — a provider genuinely willing to understand Jamie's Farm's specific context and shape the training around it. She got in touch to arrange for Independent Safeguarding Service to deliver across the whole organisation, and that relationship has continued and deepened over the past three years.

A partnership that grows with the organisation

Independent Safeguarding Service has now delivered DSL training to approximately 16 people across Jamie's Farm — a DSL and deputy at each of the six sites, plus additional staff whose roles require it. Those DSLs then cascade training across their individual farm teams.

The most recent DSL training day took place in January 2026. The response from the team was clear.

"Everyone came away feeling much more confident. They were able to ask as many questions as they had, so they could make sure they knew exactly what they needed to know about our work in our setting."

Katie Meanwell - Head of Safeguarding

Keeping pace with a changing landscape

For Katie, one of the most important aspects of the membership is the ability to stay current — not just through scheduled training, but through ongoing access to updated policies and expert advice that comes with it.

"The safeguarding landscape changes all the time. The issues that young people face change and evolve, and therefore organisations need to as well. It's just not good enough to do a standalone training day and then not revisit it for a couple of years."

Katie Meanwell - Head of Safeguarding

"The ability to have training made really bespoke to the context in which we're working — that has felt like such a gift."

Katie Meanwell - Head of Safeguarding

The Independent Safeguarding Service CIC is a social enterprise with a very singular vision: to enable a transformation in the quality of safeguarding in the UK. Our belief is that organisations which come into contact with children and adults should have access to everything they need in one central resource. This keeps staff, and those using their services, both safe and compliant with safeguarding responsibilities.