VULNERABLE children and adults will not ‘slip under the radar ‘of Warwickshire County Council’s new multi-agency team.
A team of 52 professionals have formed the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to try and bring a quicker, more effective and combined approach to caring for those most in need.
Those in the Warwick-based hub – which launched last month – are from departments including social services, health, education, police and the fire service. They say by working in the same room they can combine their services with more ease and help those needing extra care.
And the MASH say cases of vulnerable people such as Luisa Mendes – who died following a catastrophic abdominal bleed and after a delayed response by police – would not go unmissed as multiple agencies would be working together.
MASH manager John Coleman told the Observer: “Domestic violence is the issue we see most of, followed by neglect, social abuse and education issues.
“The MASH, which is currently only running children’s services from the hub followed by adult services from September, is already proving itself to be a vital resource in making sure our most vulnerable residents are safe and protected from harm.
“In one case we discovered a family in Warwick district, who had moved from abroad and needed to come to A&E. We found no record of them, the children were not even in school. Together we were able to sort it out and help them.”
Across the district there are currently 214 families needing to use MASH services. Nearly a quarter of those are in north Leamington. In some areas of Leamington there are also classed to be one in five children living in poverty.
John says people need to report when they believe to know a family, child or adult in need as too many cases can be missed.
He said: “Warwick district has its fair share of cases we need to get involved in, and it isn’t just people in poorer areas, it can be from anywhere. People need help from time to time and that’s just what we are here for.
“We are encouraging the public and professionals to report any cases they are concerned about. People can even report things anonymously.
“Many times people think vulnerable children or adults are already known to us and that isn’t always the case.”
Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/MASH to find out more.
