1. The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Referral process & Quality of referrals
02 February 2017

2. What does a MASH look like
The MASH is:
a multi-agency team of professionals from core agencies (i.e. Children’s Social Care, Police, Health, Education, Probation, Housing and Youth Services)
who continue to be employed by their individual agencies but who are co-located in one office,
delivers an integrated service
with the aim to research and interpret available information about the child/young person and their family and to determine what is proportionate and relevant to share to assist decision making
02 February 2017

3. MASH in Bromley The MASH currently consists of:
Children’s Social Care (1 Group Manager, 1 Consultant Practitioner , 3 Senior Practitioners, 3 Social Services officers, Business Support officers all FTE)
Police Public Protection Desk (1 Detective Sergeant, 2 Police staff researchers, 3 Police Constables all FTE)
Health (2 Specialist Health visitors, collectively equate to one FTE )
London Probation National Probation Service (NPS) (1 Probation officer, 6hrs/week
Education (1 Education Welfare Officer 1day/week)
CAF Team (1 Social worker from CAF Team, currently 2days/week)
Victim Support (1 Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA) 2days/week)
Virtual links: Early Intervention Services (BCP), Targeted Youth Services, Youth Offending Team and Housing
02 February 2017

4. Getting the right support for families
By working together with agency partners, we will ensure that every child in Bromley has the right help at the right time to keep them safe, and to meet their needs, so that they achieve, thrive and reach their full potential
Effective sharing of information is essential for effective identification, assessment and service provision
It is not until the full picture of a child and it’ family is
known that the harm, or potential harm, can be identified
02 February 2017

5. Understanding the thresholds of need
Launch of the borough’s new Thresholds of Need:
This replaces the Child’s Journey in Bromley
Draft
02 February 2017

6. Thresholds of Need and Intervention
Provision of right services and interventions at the earliest opportunity
Promote the welfare and safety of vulnerable children and young people
Clear framework and common understanding of need
Promote a shared awareness of different interventions to effectively support children, young people and their families or carers
Windscreen Threshold Model
02 February 2017

7. Thresholds of Need and Intervention
The Windscreen threshold model provides a continuum of need and intervention and has four descriptors for these levels:
Universal Need – Level 1
(Needs can be met by universal services);
Additional Need – Level 2
(Needs can be met by targeted service alongside universal service);
Multiple/considerable/complex Needs – Level 3
(Coordinated multi-agency response)
Acute Need (specialist or safeguarding needs) – Level 4
(Specialist services coordinated through statutory process)
02 February 2017

8. Thresholds of Need and Intervention
Practitioners who are working with children and their families should: • Identify the holistic needs of a child or young person; • Inform assessments by understanding the needs of the child or young person within the context of their family and community; and to • Act by working with the child, young person, family members / carers to develop mutually agreed solutions where additional support is available when required
02 February 2017

9. How and when to refer to MASH
Professionals should refer to MASH if they have concerns that
a child/young person is at risk of/has suffered significant harm (Child Protection, Level 4 Continuum of Need Model)
a child/young person or family is in need of ongoing support (Child in Need, Level 3 Continuum of Need Model)
02 February 2017

10. How and when to refer to MASH
For all cases of a Child In Need nature we will expect professionals to have obtained parental consent prior to making your referral; unless this would place the child or young person at risk
Where it is evident that a child or family is in need of ongoing support (but the threshold is not met for Children's Social Care intervention) you will receive an acknowledgement letter with a management decision and where applicable advising as to what alternative services should be explored to assist the child, young person or family. Relevant referrals to other services may be made by MASH if parental consent could be obtained.
02 February 2017

11. How and when to refer to MASH
Referrals have to be submitted on LB Bromley’s Children’s Social care referral form to be found: or
Referrals should be sent via to
(non-secure)
(secure)
02 February 2017

12. How and when to refer to MASH
In cases where you are concerned about the immediate safety of a child an immediate telephone call should be made to MASH
Professionals are expected to confirm their concerns in writing on the referral form
02 February 2017

13. The “good referral”
Any concerns that you feel potentially require a referral to MASH should be considered with reference to the London Child Protection Procedures and the London Borough of Bromley thresholds of Need document soon to be found on the BSCB website
If you are uncertain whether a referral is the required course of action, please contact MASH directly. You will be able to speak to a senior practitioner or a manager who will discuss with you what action may be necessary to meet the child or young person’s needs.
02 February 2017

14. We value your professional expertise and analysis
The “good referral”
All good referrals give an appropriate amount of information and context to secure an evidence based decision
It is important to give as much information as you have in order to inform decision making and to ensure that any information is as accurate as possible
We value your professional expertise and analysis
If a CAF was used or implemented it should be attached
02 February 2017

15. Helpful Information to be included
Have you considered the levels of need? (Bromley Continuum of Need)?
Are all the families’ details including dates of birth, names, addresses and other household members recorded correctly?
Have you included telephone numbers of the families and professionals known to be involved enabling timely contact?
02 February 2017

16. Helpful Information to be included
Are you aware if the family have any communication requirements either as a result of a disability, cognitive functioning, first language or literacy skills?
Have you clearly outlined in your professional opinion what you think the risks and needs are that are presenting at this time? (“What are we worried about?”)
What strategies have you put in place to date to endeavour to resolve these issues, reducing need and mitigating against risk?
02 February 2017

17. MASH – How does it work? Contact
Contact
All contacts from the following sources will be processed through MASH:
Police Merlin’s
Written referrals from all other sources (e.g. schools, health professionals, NSPCC etc.)
Telephone contacts via the duty numbers
Professional consultation
Out-of-hours (EDT) notifications
Unannounced office visits by members of the public
Consent is always required – unless to do so places the child at risk
02 February 2017

18. MASH – How does it work?
Contacts on currently open cases are being passed straight to allocated social worker and supervising manager
All other contacts are processed by Social Care staff, overseen and authorised by the Group Manager /Consultant Practitioner MASH
Contacts requiring Sec47 CA response are being passed straight to Referral & Assessment Team
02 February 2017

19. MASH – What happens when you make a referral?
Not all contacts/referrals will automatically result in a Child Protection investigation and/or Social Work Assessment
some situations that are potentially harmful to a child may be dealt with, initially, by offering support to the child and family
If there is already an allocated Social worker involved with the family your information will be passed straight to them and their manager for review and decision making
02 February 2017

20. MASH - What happens when you make a referral?
Any other referrals will be dealt with by MASH initially
MASH will decide upon and record next steps of action within one working day of receiving a referral
This will include making a decision on whether or not to share/gather information with/from other agencies
MASH undertakes a risk assessment at this point under the following RAG rating:
RED (Level 4 of Bromley’s Continuum of Need) decision making within 6 hours
AMBER (Level 3 of Bromley’s Continuum of Need) decision making within 2 working days
GREEN (Level 1-2 of Bromley’s Continuum of Need) decision making within 3 working days
02 February 2017

21. MASH - What happens when you make a referral?
Information gathering and decision making takes place within given time scales
Decisions will take account of referral information, information held in existing records, discussions with the family (where possible and appropriate) and information provided by other professionals or services as deemed necessary
02 February 2017

22. MASH - Outcomes
The child appears to be a Child in Need and there are concerns about the child’s health and development which justify a Social Work Assessment but there are no present concerns about Significant Harm; or
The child appears to be a Child in Need and there are concerns about actual or potential Significant Harm that require a Strategy Discussion, which may lead to a Child Protection Investigation; or
The child does not meet threshold for statutory Children’s Social care intervention but a referral to Early Intervention/another agency is made and/or advice and information is provided to the family and/or referrer; or
No further action is required.
02 February 2017

23. MASH - Outcomes
Feedback on the outcome of a referral to MASH will be provided to the referrer in writing
This should be received shortly after the final outcome decision has been made (time scale depends on the initial rag rating)
If a referral leads to a Child Protection investigation you will be informed of this by MASH. The allocated Social worker should then make contact with you directly within 1 working day
If a referral leads to a decision that a Social Work assessment should be completed you will be informed of this by MASH. The allocated Social worker should make contact with you directly within 3 working days
02 February 2017

24. MASH - Outcomes
If you have not received any feedback on your referral or you would like to have an update sooner please do not hesitate to contact the MASH Team by telephone for advice
In the event that an agency does not agree with the response and decisions made by MASH, the referring agency should discuss their concerns directly with the MASH Team Manager / Consultant Practitioner in the first instance to seek resolution
02 February 2017

25. and will operate during office hours
MASH – Contact details
MASH is situated:
1st Floor St Blaise Building
Civic Centre Stockwell Close
London Borough of Bromley BR1 3UH
and will operate during office hours
/ 7026 / 7373 / 7309 / 7014 / 7329 / 7428
02 February 2017

26. Questions
02 February 2017