CYSCP
Local protocol for assessment
Lead practitioners
The Lead practitioners in Children's Services are:
The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
The MASH is a multi-agency team consisting of representatives from a range of services, including Social Care, Early Help Targeted Intervention, North Yorkshire Police and Health Professionals. Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub is a single point of contact for concerns about children, reviewing referrals and making decisions.
This partnership approach makes it easier to get children, young people and families to get the right level of support as quickly as possible. Each referral is screened by a member of the Screening Team using the “Signs of Safety” approach. This approach explores what is working well, what the worries are, and any complicating issues for children and their families.
Screening decisions are based on the information which is sent in by the referrer, conversations with parents and their networks where appropriate and relevant and proportionate checks on electronic multi-agency systems including: Police, Health, and and the wider Early Help system. Screening considers previously interventions and involvements, ensuring history informs current decision-making.
Feedback will be given to the referrer on the outcome of their referral. Where appropriate, this feedback should include the reasons why children and their families may not meet statutory threshold for children’s social care invention and support and offer change this sentence to offer suggestions to ensure children and their families receive the right help and support. Practitioners should always follow up their concerns if they are not satisfied with the response with a conversation with the practitioner in the first instance.
Referrals on situations that are not immediately urgent should be made by completing the MASH referral form, which can be returned by email to: [email protected]. If you need advice on completing the MASH Referral Form, speak with the Safeguarding Lead within your own organisation.
You can also contact MASH by:
- telephone during office hours on telephone: 01904 551900
- telephone outside office hours on telephone: 0300 131 2131
- email: [email protected]
- write to: MASH, West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA
Supporting Families Advisors
Supporting Families Advisors have been developed to support partners as part of wider work to develop York’s Family Hubs Network. Supporting Families Advisors do not directly work with families but provide a contact point for help and advice for partners in the city who are working with children, young people and families at an early help level including:
- providing practical advice and guidance to partners about the early help assessment and team around the child and family process
- providing case specific advice and guidance to help you better support or access services for the families you are working with. This includes providing advice in cases where progress has become ‘stuck’
- letting you know if an early help assessment and Team Around the Child and Family process is already in place for family and link you in with the lead practitioner
If you need support from your Supporting Families Advisor email: [email protected] and a member of the team will respond to you; provide your phone number if you would prefer a call back.