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Report a concern about a child or young person

If you have a concern that a child is vulnerable or at risk of significant harm, please contact the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) in York.

The MASH is a multi-agency team made up of representatives from a range of services, including Social Care, Early Help, Police and Health Professionals and is a single point of contact for all concerns about children. This partnership approach will make it easier to get children, young people and families to get the right level of support as quickly as possible.

Referrals on situations that are not immediately urgent should be made by completing the MASH referral form, which can be returned by email: [email protected]. If you need advice on completing the MASH Referral Form, speak with the Safeguarding Lead within your own organisation.

The City of York Safeguarding Children Partnership (CYSCP) also have tools they recommend you complete to assist you in deciding whether you need to make a referral. Examples of these can be found on the CYSCP tools page.

Referrals on situations that are not immediately urgent should be made by completing the MASH referral form, which can be returned by email: [email protected].

Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub contact information:

  • telephone: 01904 551900
  • email: [email protected]
  • address:
    MASH, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA

Outside office hours, at weekends and on public holidays contact the Emergency Duty Team on telephone: 0300 131 2131.

If you're a member of the public who wants to speak to someone about your own family or a family you know, you can contact the MASH using these contact details.

When contacting the MASH via telephone, you'll be offered several options depending on your request:

  • if you know the name of the person you would like to speak to, press 1
  • if you're calling regarding a family you know, is open to a social worker or child and family support practitioner, press 2
  • if you're calling regarding an early help referral, press 4
  • if you're calling regarding urgent child safeguarding concerns, press 5

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If you're a professional working with a family and need to make a referral to the MASH, complete the MASH referral form, which can be returned by email: [email protected].

If an Early Help Assessment has been completed, provide a copy of this with the referral form including the reviews and action plans, evidencing the support that has worked well and what further support the family requires. The Early Help Assessment will assist the MASH in deciding the next best steps.

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The North Yorkshire and City of York Partnership Information Sharing Form can be used if you think you have information to share with the police about situations in which children, young people or adults may be vulnerable to exploitation.

If someone is at risk of immediate harm you need to telephone: 999.

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Requests for information must be sent in writing to email: [email protected].

Ensure you include in your request:

  • the purpose of your request, and;
  • whether you have obtained consent of the person you are seeking the information about, or;
  • under what lawful duty we need to share this information

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We know that many children do well, however some children and their families have needs which will require additional support to enable them to reach their full potential. These needs may change throughout a child’s life, needs which might require limited support or intensive support depending on their circumstances.

A Guidance on Continuum of Need, also referred to as the 'Threshold Document', has been developed by CYSCP to support professionals working with children when faced with a decision about their wellbeing or safety, to drive our ambition of ensuring children and families are given the right help at the right time. The Threshold Document sets out which levels of intervention may be needed to support children and their families, while ensuring children are protected from abuse or neglect.

The Threshold Document has some features we might see in families across the continuum. It's important to recognise that this tool should be used as a guide and does not represent a fixed definition or checklist to be used to access a support for children and families. Professionals should use this guide alongside professional knowledge and understanding, taking a holistic view of the child or young person, their lived experience, and the safety and protective factors around them.

When working with a child, young person or family you should use this to help identify the most appropriate support for them.

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Within the city of York we recognise it is important to work alongside families and all organisations adopt a ‘working with’ and not ‘doing to’ approach. The importance of engaging children, young people and families from the outset and of securing their consent to work with the child and family is crucial to ensure long term improved outcomes for children.

Consent means that the family is fully informed about the services they are being referred to, agree with the referral being made and understand what information professionals are passing on and why. Refusal to engage with services or refusal to give consent to share information are not in isolation reasons to escalate concerns. There are some exceptions when there is a need to protect children and young people. For example, if having a conversation with the family would place the child, or another child, or someone else, or you the referrer, at increased risk of suffering harm you do not need consent. You also don’t need consent if it might undermine the investigation of a serious crime or where a delay in getting consent may mean the child or young person is put at further risk of harm.

In circumstances where information is being shared without consent the practitioner should respond in line with safeguarding guidance and or procedures, such as; Children who are at risk of exploitation, fabricated and induced illness (FII), unborn and non-mobile baby protocol.

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The information you provide is shared to the MASH.

MASH is a multi-agency team made up of representatives from a range of services, including:

  • Social Care
  • Early Help
  • Police
  • Health Professionals
  • Youth Justice Service
  • Any other relevant agencies involved in the child’s life

Following a referral, the MASH team come together to review and share information sent to them. They use their professional judgement and also the threshold document, to enable them to make right decision at the right time for a child. This partnership approach will make it easier to get children, young people and families to get the right level of support as quickly as possible.

In order for MASH to efficiently make decision, you must ensure that all relevant information, including parental consent or clear reasons why this has not been obtained, is provided to ensure that the referral can be progressed as effectively as possible.

You'll be notified via email of the outcome of your referral via a MASH referral response form.

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Early Help is a collaboration not a service.

In its simplest terms everyone is involved in the delivery of early help. This includes:

  • families
  • communities
  • voluntary groups
  • universal provision
  • schools
  • health

Many universal agencies will use service specific tools to identify, assess and respond to need. However, in order to support our city-wide approach to Early Help and joint working, partner agencies have produced common guidance and tools.

Level 2 - children and families have emerging needs

Some children and families have emerging needs. Intervention is provided by a single agency or a co-ordinated response by multiple agencies. Consider Early Help Assessment delivered by lead practitioner.

Level 3 - family help

Children with increased vulnerability and additional needs which require an Early Help Assessment, a multi agency response. Intervention to be provided via Team around the Family or Targeted Intervention.

Further information about these levels is within Threshold Document.

Where you feel the family needs can be supported at an Early Help level, you can speak with a Supporting Family Advisor who can provide advice and support about Early Help assessments, processes, and interventions on email: [email protected].

If making a referral for targeted Early Help support, submit a completed Early Help assessment to email: [email protected].

The MASH need you to submit a completed Early Help assessment because you are best placed to provide the information regarding the current support in place and any currently unmet needs requiring targeted support, so that they can make a timely, proportionate and effective decision about what help and support the child and their parents or carers need.

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If you have a concern or allegation about a professional (including volunteers) who works with children and young people and the way they have behaved towards a child, you need to contact the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO).

See allegations against childcare workers - advice for professionals, or allegations against childcare workers - advice for parents for the LADO contact details.

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