Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub - Did you know?

18 August 2020

Nottinghamshire’s Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) acts as the first point of contact, receiving safeguarding concerns or referrals and collating information from different agencies to build up a holistic picture of the circumstances of a case. The agencies involved quickly share information on a case and make a swift decision on the most appropriate action needed. Better co-ordination between agencies will also lead to an improved service for children, adults and their families.

The MASH deal with new safeguarding concerns, where someone is concerned about the safety or well-being of an or adult or thinks they might be at risk of harm. For example, a doctor may think an elderly person is being neglected. In both cases they would raise their concern with the local authority or the police.

Within the MASH, information from different agencies is collated and used to decide what action to take. As a result, the agencies are able to act quickly in a co-ordinated and consistent way, ensuring that vulnerable children and adults are kept safe. The MASH involves representatives from the County Council, Police and Health working together in the same location. Virtual links will exist to other services and agencies such as probation, housing, mental health, and early intervention.

 

Did you know?

  • The Mash receives about 130-150 telephone calls per week- This amounts to between 6760- 7800 calls per year.
  • The MASH only has 4 FTE MASHOs (MASH Officers) to take your calls.
  • The MASH has 6 FTE Social Workers, and 2 FTE Advanced Social Work Practitioners, making further enquiries, and making decisions on progressing Section 42 Safeguarding Adults Enquiries.
  • Workers at the MASH do not undertake home visits
  • The MASH received 5814 safeguarding adults referrals during 2019/20 – this was an increase of 34% on the previous year (2018/19 4263 referrals)
  • Over half of the referrals (57%) into the MASH via online form or telephone do not go on to a safeguarding adults section 42 enquiry, this means that they would have been better dealt with by some other route than a safeguarding referral.

How you can help

The MASH only works with adults who fall under safeguarding adults duties as defined by the Care Act 2014:

According to the Care Act 2014, safeguarding  adults duties apply to those who are:

  • Adults aged 18 or over who have care and support needs, whether or not those needs are met by the Local Authority

and

  • Are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing instance(s) of abuse or neglect

and

  • Due to their care and support needs are unable to protect themselves against instances of abuse or neglect

If the adult you are contacting the MASH about does not meet all three criteria above, it will not be considered a safeguarding adults referral.

Nottinghamshire Safeguarding Adults Board have a guidance document entitled Referral Pathways designed to support you in your decision making process as to whether a concern would be considered a safeguarding adults concern, or when an alternative response may be more appropriate.

This document is designed to be used in conjunction with the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Multi-Agency Procedure for Raising a Concern and Referring in which you will find the correct procedure to follow regarding your safeguarding adults concern. This document also contains a checklist of all the information you should have to hand prior to making a safeguarding adults referral into the MASH, including date/ time of incident, names of the adult, details of the actual incident, and the adult’s desired outcomes – or what they want to happen as a result of the referral being made.

Please use these documents when dealing with a safeguarding adults concern, and visit the links above to refresh your knowledge, and check you are working from the most recent documents

How and where to make a referral

Online at:

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/care/safeguarding/reporting-abuse-professionals

Telephone Nottinghamshire County Council:

              (MASH) – 0300 500 80 90 (professionals only)

MASH opening

  • Telephone queues are generally shorter in the morning, so you may wish to call then.
  • The MASH operates from Monday to Thursday: 8.30am to 5pm, and Friday: 8.30am to 4.30pm
  • Please note, in the last 30 minutes of these opening hours each day, the MASH can only address urgent safeguarding concerns that require a Social Worker to visit the adult that evening.
  • In an emergency outside of these hours, contact the Emergency Duty Team on 0300 456 4546.
  • We now also have an online referral form
  • If the concern is not urgent, you will be asked to call back the next working day or complete the online form. This is because of the hand-over to the Emergency Duty Team.
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