Wolverhampton Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub will be responding to adult safeguarding referrals from 30th August 2016. Read more..

Wolverhampton's Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub will be responding to adult safeguarding referrals from Tuesday 30 August – becoming the first MASH in the West Midlands to do so.

Based at the Civic Centre, the MASH has brought together representatives from agencies across the city to assess and respond to safeguarding issues more effectively.

Launched in January and initially focused on safeguarding issues involving children and young people, the MASH acts as a central, single point for early help and safeguarding referrals, enabling agencies to carry out timely, joint assessments and agree the most appropriate course of action for the individuals and families concerned.

It is now being extended in order to ensure an effective and consistent approach to safeguarding referrals relating to adults with care and support needs.

Partner agencies in the MASH include the Adult Social Care Safeguarding Team, Recovery Near You, Wolverhampton Homes, Probation, the Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Wolverhampton Clinical Commissioning Group and West Midlands Police.

Final preparations are underway for the extension, with the development and co-location of the Adult Social Care Team who will perform the core adult safeguarding function in the MASH. Processes and pathways are being finalised in order to ensure the council and its partners continue to provide a safe and timely response to safeguarding concerns.

Arrangements are also being made with the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, Black Country Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and West Midlands Police to ensure timely access to information.

Councillor Sandra Samuels OBE, Cabinet Member for Adult Services, said: “We have already seen the tremendous impact the MASH has had on the way agencies in Wolverhampton work together to respond to safeguarding issues involving children and young people, and it is now being extended to ensure that these improvements can be replicated for adults.

"This will have a positive impact on the way we are able to support vulnerable adults, while having partners work together in this way will also enable us to ensure a whole family approach where there are safeguarding issues affecting both children and adults."

The contact details for the MASH are as follows:

Children and Young People MASH: 01902 555392 Option 3 for Early Intervention Team and Option 4 for Social Care Team.

Adult MASH: 01902 551199.

In an emergency, always dial 999.

All referrals to the MASH are processed and added to the Guardian system within an hour of receipt. These are then triaged by MASH managers who will RAG rate them for action.