Members considered an update on the progress made to ensure delivery of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) in the Royal Borough, effective from January 2016. 

The Lead Member explained that at its meeting in March 2015, Cabinet had noted and endorsed the development of a fully operational co-located Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for the Royal Borough.  This was also a manifesto commitment.  She was pleased to confirm that significant progress had been made in developing the MASH, particularly around workforce and accommodation and works were well on track for implementation in January 2016.

Key partners in the MASH were:

·         RBWM Children’s Services.

·         Thames Valley Police.

·         Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead Clinical Commissioning Group.

·         Berkshire Healthcare Foundation Trust.

·         DASH (Domestic Abuse Stops Here) Charity.

The core component of the MASH had now been agreed, totalling 17.1 FTE. Resource was being provided by all key partners and in terms of Children’s Services’ contribution, the council was looking to use staff from the existing workforce with staff being re-skilled to meet the requirements of the MASH. 

At this stage, additional personnel, for example from Probation, Housing and Youth Offending, were not being co-located but they would be enabled to contribute virtually to the MASH discussions.  It was also proposed to explore the potential to expand the remit of the MASH to cover adult safeguarding.

Thames Valley Police required a higher level of security than the Royal Borough and its partners, including a self contained and secure space, only accessible to MASH staff, external lighting and window security.  She thanked staff for their flexibility whilst works continued. In terms of the actual operation of the MASH, a workflow diagram and process had been developed.  The MASH would provide a single point of access for all concerns about a child/young person, whether a safeguarding concern, early help request or information/advice.  This would ensure that residents received a more timely and appropriate response to their concerns.

The Chairman commented that he was pleased to see progress as the council had been waiting a while to get all partners agencies on board. A dedicated space and equipment would ensure safeguarding was undertaken in a professional and best-in-field way. He fully endorsed the work done so far.

The Lead Member for Adult Services & Health highlighted that the council was looking to see if adult safeguarding could also be dealt with by the MASH. The Lead Member for Highways and Transport congratulated the Lead Member for overcoming the challenges to get a MASH in place. The Lead Member explained that it was hoped the MASH would be ready for test runs in January 2016, to ease the transition for staff. The Principal Member for Policy praised Thames Valley Police for their engagement and looked forward to future co-operation.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That Cabinet:

i) Notes the progress made to ensure delivery of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub for January 2016 and request a performance report in July 2016.

ii) Endorses exploration of the potential to expand the remit of the MASH to include Adult Safeguarding.