Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
The Manchester Adults Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is a service that brings together core public agencies with responsibilities for safeguarding adults. The MASH enables them to share information and make joint decisions, in a timely manner, to protect adults who are at risk of abuse. The MASH works collaboratively to enable a coordinated response to ensure that the most appropriate service is identified to best meet the needs of the individual.
The core agencies that comprises the MASH are:
- MLCO Adult Social Care (ASC – host agency), including business support.
- Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH)
- NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
The MASH service is hosted by Manchester Adult social Care and led by a Service Manager and the operations of the MASH team is led by the Operations and Performance Manager. The adult social care element of MASH consists of Social Workers, Senior Social Workers and Business Support Officers. The Mental Health element of MASH consists of Mental Health Practitioners who are supported by their Professional Lead for Social Care. The Health element of MASH consists of Health Lead, Health Practitioner and Health Researchers and the Police element of MASH team consists of Sergeant and Police Officers. The Police Officers are deployed from North, Central and South locality Designated Safeguarding Teams (DST).
The MASH works with adults 18years and above. It brings together core agencies with safeguarding responsibilities to collaboratively carry out three key functions:
- To identify any adults who are at risk of abuse and/or neglect.
- To share relevant and proportionate information between different agencies to enable informed analysis, decision making and recommendations.
- To assess, manage and mitigate risk for adults with care and support needs when safeguarding concerns are raised.
MASH is a short-term service and does not provide face to face citizen visits. Referrals are directed to MASH from the Adult Social Care Contact Centre, who screen referrals and use a RAG (Red, Amber, Green) rating system to inform levels of risk, timelines and prioritisation. An outcome is then agreed and recorded.
Possible outcomes are:
- Phone call for additional information
- Referral to MASH huddle for multi-agency decision making
- Allocation to MASH practitioner for MASH enquiry (single-agency or multi-agency)
- Refer onto the relevant adult social care team for a Section 42 safeguarding enquiry
- Refer onto relevant team for other action, e.g. Care Act Assessment
- No further action
A MASH enquiry facilitates further information gathering from core and partner agencies, to support the analysis of risk and inform decision making and next steps. A MASH enquiry may be carried out by a single agency, or a multi-agency.
Outcomes from MASH enquiries:
- Safeguarding response
- Signposting to other services
- No further action
The MASH operates Monday to Friday, 8:45am – 4:30pm.
Outside of these hours the Emergency Duty Service (EDS) team will respond to urgent safeguarding referrals, including overnight, weekends and bank holidays. The EDS team only deal with immediate safeguarding risks that cannot wait until the next working day.
Citywide
Referrals for safeguarding concerns are directed to MASH from the Contact Centre. However, if the citizen is already open to an adult social care team, the Contact Centre will refer the contact directly to the relevant team.
If there is concern that a vulnerable adult is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, a referral should be made to the Contact Centre by:
Tel: 0161 234 5001
or email: mcsreply@manchester.gov.uk