Sandwell Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Sandwell Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a partnership between Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), Children’s Social Work Services, Education, Housing, West Midlands Police and Health agencies.
These professionals work together and share information to safeguard children and young people in response to a referral about a child who may have been harmed or put at risk.
How does MASH work?
If a referral has been received about a child, Children’s Social Work Services will decide if the information suggests that there is a safeguarding concern. If there is, the agencies in the MASH will share relevant information they hold to better inform the decisions made about what action needs to be taken regarding the referral.
The aim is to get a better understanding of the difficulties the child and family may be facing as soon as possible. This allows us to offer the right level of support, at the right time, from the right people
Information Sharing
If professionals are referring the child to Children’s Social Work Services they will need to ask permission from the parent/guardian first, unless they are reporting child protection concerns then permission may not be required. MASH will aim to only share information with other agencies with consent. However, if seeking your permission would cause a delay in safeguarding a child from harm of significant risk of harm, or in solving a crime or, in circumstances where there is a legal requirement to share the information then information may be shared without immediate consent.
What happens after a child/young person is discussed within MASH?
If a child is thought to have been harmed or to be at risk of significant harm, now or in the future, a member of the MASH team will refer to the Safeguarding and Assessment Team, who will carry out a Child Protection Enquiry. This means that a Social Worker and sometimes a Police Officer will be in contact with the parent/guardian.
If there are worries and concerns for the child but these are not felt to be child protection, then a member of the Safeguarding Assessment Team will contact the parent/guardian to arrange a social work assessment. This will help identify the right support and services to help these circumstances improve.