Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)

Nigel Boulton

Marisa De Jager

These slides are subject to copyright ©NibSharedVision 2020

Introduction

Our passion and background

Today is about:

• Vulnerability – need, harm and risk

• What does good look like for children

• Why do we have a MASH?

• Your MASH and Early Help and Assessment processes, pathways and interfaces

• Your role in the MASH

…You are part of the child’s journey and we must plan for all children and their families for stability and permanence from the front door…These slides are subject to copyright ©NibSharedVision 2020

MASH Safeguarding duty

• The Children Act 1989

• UNCRC 1989

• The Children Act 2004 as amended by The ChildrenSocial Work Act 2017

• The Children and Families Act 2014

• Human Rights 1998 Article 2 and 8

• Data Protection Act 2018 (GDPR)

• Working Together to Safeguard children 2018

• Office of Constable – The oath

• Safeguarding procedures


Practice Video – tri.x


2002 Jessica Chapman & Holly Wells

1945 Dennis O’Neil

1984- Jasmine Beckford

2000 - Lauren Wright 2007 Peter

Connelly

1994 - Rikki Neave

1973 – Maria Colwell

2000 – Victoria Climbié

2012 Daniel Pelka

Keegan Downer – connected carer case“Claire” Croydon case – mainstream fostering caseLocal: West Sussex practice reviews

More recent…


The MASH vision

‘to identify and make safe at the earliest opportunity all vulnerable people in our communities through the sharing of information and intelligence across the safeguarding partnership’


A pause for thought…

The S in MASH was chosen for a reason

Protect from harm or damage with an appropriate measure (verb) or

A measure taken to protect someone or something or to prevent something undesirable (noun)

Oxford Dictionary


Connecting the dots

• Draw the following image on a piece of paper

• Connect all the dots using just one line. You have 5 minutes.



Key outcomes of MASH What good looks like for children and young people?

• Early identification and understanding of need, harm and risk to child and family

Voice of the child and their lived experience – making the invisible visible!

• Victim identification and intervention (Complex, Contextual Safeguarding & DA MARAC)

• Need, Harm, Risk in the partnership through analytics


Joining the dots, drip drip drip…MASH and Early Help coordination pathways:

• Prevention and Diversion at the earliest opportunity

Lower level safeguarding concerns & Early Help

• Intervention

Child Abuse

Substance misuse

Domestic abuse

Mental health

CSE and Missing

Serious youth crime and county lines

Prevent etc.

• Pre-birth etc.


An Integrated front door

The journey of the child…”golden thread to be seen and heard”

• Partnership designed model

• Needs analysis led, decision making model without borders

• Based on partnership levels of need and same language

• Driving prevention, the widest identification of need and the appropriate provision of early intervention and diversion


Threshold document and levels of need

Safeguarding partners need a common language

WT 2018 “….the partners should agree with partners the levels of different types of assessment and services to be commissioned and delivered”

Children's social care has the responsibility for clarifying the process for referrals and what decisions have been made in relation to the referral.

WT 2018 “…the partners should publish a document” setting out:• the process for the early help assessment • the type and level of early help services to be provided; and• the criteria, including the levels of need, for when a case should be

referred to local authority children's social care for assessment and for statutory services


Statutory guidance - Education 2019

• Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) 2019 statutory guidance sets out the legal duties you must follow to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people under the age of 18 in your School

• Helpful update on all vulnerability areas covered within the Levels of Need (not exhaustive) and the role of school or college

• Page 70 refers to “Early Help” and the referral process when schools have concerns about a child


The functions of a MASH

• Professionals Consultation line with partners

• Pre MASH enquiries

• Screening, analysis and early decision making by all MASH Social Work staff for:

1. Early Help and Support (Single/ Multi or targeted)

2. Partnership information sharing

3. Diversion opportunities (advice and signposting)

4. Statutory intervention by Children Social Care (S17 with consent and S47)


MASH, Early Help and A&I Information Sharing processes

An ExampleThese slides are subject to copyright ©NibSharedVision 2020

MASH Decision making

• MASH screening or triage process – decides step up - Assessment by social care) or decides step down - advice, support, guidance, TAC/ TAF, by Early Help

• Manager must ensure staff consider consent issues before MASH enhanced information sharing – always. MASH partners to ensure this is recorded before information is provided for MASH enhanced enquiries.

• Decision maker, authorisation of contacts and management oversight = Responsibility of Manager

• Manager agrees presence of sensitive/confidential info

• Manager ensures Voice of the Child is incorporated in all contacts - always

• Manager ensures partners have a MASH outcome

• Manager to provide Single S47 investigation outcomes to MASH Police for their records.


Information sharing

• Statutory framework

o The Data Protection Act (2018)

o The Children Act (1989)

o Children Act (2004) (as amended Social Work Act 2017)

o Care Act (2014)

• Duty to work together (Section 16E (1) )

o The Children Act (2004) (as amended Social Work Act 2017)

o The Care Act (2014)

• NP&R

• Consent or not? – GDPR in the MASH


Reminder: MASH is a consent based model

- The Haringey Judgement 2013

Information sharing within MASH is lawful, but with two important proviso’s:1. Consent must always be considered on a case by case

basis2. Decisions must be recorded with supporting rationale

and an audit trail of information shared maintainedQueens Counsel have advised on judgement


Your role in recording and record keeping

• Evidencing child and young person’s needs are met

• Provides a clear history

• Supports continuity of service

• Provides evidence of work

• Provides monitoring and performance information

• Provides an audit trail for inspection

100% Truth telling in an age appropriate way –recorded!


• Say one thing you would like to take away from today

THANK YOU !

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Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)