What to do if you think a
child is at risk
If you are concerned that a child you know is at risk of harm then you can contact Children’s Social Care at the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). This team will use your information to make a decision about how they can best respond to your concerns. In an emergency you can of course contact the Police. You are also able to discuss your child with a member of staff here at school if you have any worries.
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH)
Tel. 0300 500 8090 (08:30-17:00)
Tel. 0300 456 4546 (out of hours- Emergency Duty Team EDT)
In an emergency or if you cannot get through to the above numbers and you think a child is at risk, call 999.
What is the MASH Team?
MASH = Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
A Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub – bringing agencies together to share information to help and protect the most vulnerable children and adults from harm, abuse and neglect.
Staff from the Police, Health, Probation Trust, Schools, Children's Social Care and Adult Safeguarding are working together in the MASH office.
The MASH receives safeguarding concerns from professionals such as teachers and doctors as well as members of the public and family members. For those concerns that meet the threshold for Social Care involvement, representatives from the different agencies in the MASH and outside will collate information from their respective sources to build up a holistic picture of the circumstances of the case and the associated risks to the child or adult.
As a result, better decisions will be made about what action to take and support will be targeted on the most urgent cases. Feedback will also be given to professionals reporting concerns.
Better co-ordination between agencies will lead to an improved service for children and families.
You can also report you concerns in the following ways if you are feeling worried about a child's safety:
Help for adults concerned about a child
Call us on 0808 800 5000
Help for children and young people
Call Childline on 0800 1111