The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) is Oldham’s first point of contact for safeguarding referrals to protect children, young people or adults from harm, abuse or neglect.
It is responsible for care and support services which help individuals or families to:
- Access the Early Help Service
- Respond to Safeguarding concerns for Children and adults
- Access mental health support
- Prevent or delay needs becoming more serious
- Lead independent lives and reduce dependence on public services.
- Signpost to services
A range of organisations make up the MASH including:
- Social care for children and adults
- Greater Manchester Police
- Early Help
- Education and Early Years
- Northern Care Alliance
- Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS)
- Positive Steps
- National Probation Service
Where there is a concern, these organisations share information to decide the most appropriate intervention to prevent harm to the person.
This gives a full understanding of the situation, so we can respond quickly and effectively.
What happens if you contact the MASH?
We take any concern that a child or adult at risk is being harmed, abused, or seriously neglected.
If there is a concern that someone is suffering significant harm, or is at risk of suffering significant harm, this will be assessed by social services. Information may be shared between organisations in the MASH to inform this assessment, and to help decide what action needs to be taken.
Where concerns are below the threshold for the involvement of Social Services, referrals may be passed to Early Help or other services to provide support to individuals or families. But this can only happen with the consent of the individual or family involved.
Children and Young People with mental health difficulties
The MASH is the point of access in Oldham for services for children and young people with mental health difficulties.
This includes early intervention and prevention services delivered by MIND and specialist mental health services delivered by Healthy Young Minds Oldham (formerly Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – CAMHS).
Contact
If you suspect a person is at immediate risk of harm, call 999 and speak to the police.
You can contact the MASH from 8:40am – 5:00pm on Monday – Friday.
- Phone: 0161 770 7777
- Email: adult.mash@oldham.gov.uk (adults)
- Email: child.mash@oldham.gov.uk (children)
Make an online referral:
- Child safeguarding referral - Report concerns about the welfare or well-being of a child or young person to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) or to request Early Help Services.
- Request support from adult social care - Refer yourself or someone you know for a Care Act assessment for care and support, or report a safeguarding concern for a vulnerable adult.
Out of hours
For urgent concerns outside office hours, you can call the Emergency Duty Team:
- Phone: 0161 770 6936
Privacy notice
Information is processed within the MASH under strict protocols in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and other relevant legislation. Information is held securely by Oldham Council and is used and shared on a strict need to know basis with limited partners, for the purposes of keeping people safe or ensuring they get the best services they need.
Sharing information about individuals with partner organisations is sometimes necessary in order to protect individuals if there are concerns, they may be at risk of significant harm, to prevent or detect crime, or where it is in the interest of maintaining public safety.
Where a child protection concern is reported, the parent / carer will normally be informed unless this could place the child or someone else at further risk or undermine a police investigation. Informed consent to share information between organisations is sought from adults who are the subject of a safeguarding concern.
Where referrals are made to the MASH to access help or support, information is not shared between organisations without the consent of the individuals involved.
Personal information held in the MASH will be deleted when it is no longer needed for these purposes, in accordance with formal record retention policies.