The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) Process

The Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is made up of a range of professionals from different agencies who are all co-located in West Berkshire. They include colleagues from the police, health, education and social workers from our Contact, Advice and Assessment Service (CAAS).

Other organisations will join the co-located team in the future.

Our other partners include:

• Swanswell
• Community Mental Health Team
• Housing
• Home-Start
• Family Hubs
• Probation
• Child Adolescent Mental Health Services
• Youth Offending Team

Working together with our partners provides integrated services, maximising the impact of joint agency working. This means we can identify, and provide a faster response to, the most vulnerable children and families.

The MASH provides an opportunity to analyse additional information that can only be gathered through the MASH process. This will better inform the level of risk that a child may experience.

Agencies have access to their own systems within the MASH and can quickly and easily share information that they hold about children and their families. Any new multiagency information will then be stored confidentially on the Children and Family Services information database. Information gathered from the MASH process will be shared according to relevance and proportionality. 

The MASH is a consent based model; however, there may be cases where obtaining consent could place a child or family at risk. In those cases, consent can be overridden by the MASH manager.