Legal News
Windsor & Maidenhead launch multi-agency safeguarding hub for vulnerable adults and children (9 February 2016)
Date: 09/02/2016
The Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead’s new Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) has been launched in collaboration with its partners, Thames Valley Police, Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the charity DASH (Domestic Abuse Stops Here) and the National Probation Service.
The new hub will provide a multi-agency approach where the council and its partners will gather and analyse all the relevant information to identify risks to children, young people and their families and assess the level of priority.
MASH will operate from the Town Hall in Maidenhead and will comprise of 17 full-time employees – all existing staff from a range of agencies.
The new single point of contact replaces existing referral points and will allow agencies to work more closely together, says the council.
The council’s Cabinet Member for youth services and safeguarding, Councillor Natasha Airey, said:
“This new MASH for the Royal Borough will enable us to work even closer with our partners than we currently do – and it will ensure that risks to a child or young person are picked up swiftly.
“Safeguarding children and young people is one of the council’s top priorities and a key manifesto commitment that we are dedicated to delivering.
“I’m delighted to see that the MASH is now operational – and look forward to working with the team to see how it progresses in the coming months.”
DCI Linda York from Protecting Vulnerable People, Thames Valley Police, added:
“A high priority for Thames Valley Police is the protection of vulnerable people from harm in our communities.
“Through the co-location of key safeguarding agencies, risks to vulnerable children and adults can be identified earlier.
“This also enables a more coordinated, effective and timely response, to strategically implement safeguarding decisions – and in turn contributes to improved outcomes for children and vulnerable adults.
“This hub will allow us to take a multi-agency approach to safeguarding – and to better share information across public agencies at an earlier stage of a case.
“The MASH will enable officers to work more closely with other professional agencies to identify how best to manage any safeguarding concerns – and will help to keep vulnerable adults and children safe.”
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