What happens after a MASH referral?

MASH (Multi-agency safeguarding hub). A local team where children’s social care, police, health and others receive and screen safeguarding referrals together. Not every area has one, and names vary.

Working Together 2026 says that within one working day of a referral, children's social care should acknowledge it to the referrer and a social work qualified manager should decide the next steps and type of response, and the referrer should then be told the decision. The outcome might be no further action, universal services or Family Help, a child in need assessment under section 17, or a strategy discussion and section 47 child protection enquiries, with any assessment reaching a decision within 45 working days. Local MASH and front door arrangements vary, so check your area's procedures for how this works in practice.

Updated 20 October 2026. Checked against the official guidance. Sources

What MASH means

A multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) is a team where children’s social care, the police, health and sometimes education and other services look at referrals together. It is a local arrangement, not a national one. Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 doesn’t use the term; it says local authority children’s social care is responsible for making clear how referrals work in its area (paragraph 163). So not every referral goes through a MASH; the route is whatever your area publishes.

DfE’s Families First Partnership programme guide (March 2026) expects every area to have an integrated front door by March 2027, where contacts and referrals are triaged to the right level of service. It asks areas that run a MASH to review how it fits with that front door.

Local procedures vary

Every area organises its front door differently: the name, the referral form, who sits in the team and how decisions are passed back to schools. The timescales and outcomes below are the national framework from Working Together 2026. Your local safeguarding partnership’s procedures add the local detail, so check them. Some areas grade referrals by urgency or use their own internal targets, but the national expectation of acknowledgement and a decision within one working day still applies.

What happens, step by step

Acknowledgement and a decision within one working day. Children’s social care should acknowledge the referral to the referrer, and a social work qualified practice supervisor or manager should decide the next steps and the type of response needed (Working Together 2026, paragraph 167; KCSIE 2026, paragraph 70).
Checking the concern. The lead practitioner should clarify with the referrer the nature of the concern and how and why it arose (paragraph 175), so keep your phone on and your notes to hand.
The decision. The manager decides whether the child needs immediate protection, whether they are a child in need who should be assessed under section 17, whether there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm so that section 47 enquiries are needed, whether the family needs urgent services, and whether specialist assessments are needed (paragraph 167).
Seeing the child. If the referral needs further assessment, the child should be seen as soon as possible (paragraph 167).
Assessment. Any assessment should reach a decision on next steps within 45 working days of the referral. Support can start before it finishes (paragraph 169).

The possible outcomes

No further action by children’s social care. The referral may not meet the threshold for statutory services. The feedback to the referrer should say why and suggest other support (paragraph 165). Working Together says that where no further action is decided, the reasons should be recorded and shared with the child, family and practitioners involved (paragraph 252).
Universal services or community-based early help. The family is pointed to support such as school, health or a Best Start Family Hub.
Family Help. Targeted early help, or child in need support under section 17, with a lead practitioner. This is voluntary and needs the family’s consent (paragraph 135).
Strategy discussion and section 47 enquiries. Where there is reasonable cause to suspect significant harm. See strategy meetings and section 47 enquiries.
Immediate protection. Where a child is at risk of serious immediate harm, the local authority or the police act straight away, and a strategy discussion follows (paragraph 168 and section 4, “Immediate protection”).

Will the school be told?

It should be. Working Together says children’s social care should give the referrer feedback on the decisions taken (paragraph 165). KCSIE 2026 says that if this doesn’t arrive, the referrer should follow up (paragraph 71).

Record the outcome, the date you heard and any reasons given on the child’s file. If the outcome is no further action and you still have concerns, keep the case under review and refer again if things change or get worse (KCSIE, paragraph 64).

Are parents told?

Usually. The lead practitioner should tell the child and family what action will be taken, unless doing so might jeopardise a police investigation or put the child at risk of significant harm (Working Together 2026, paragraph 175).

If you disagree

Working Together 2026 says practitioners should always follow up their concerns if they’re not satisfied with the response, and escalate in line with local procedures if they remain dissatisfied (paragraph 165). KCSIE 2026 says the same if the child’s situation doesn’t seem to be improving after a referral (paragraph 73). Each local partnership publishes its own escalation or professional resolution process.

What’s changing

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 (Royal Assent 29 April 2026) requires safeguarding partners to set up multi-agency child protection teams, including someone with experience in education, to support local authorities with section 47 enquiries (section 3, inserting section 16EA into the Children Act 2004). When we checked on 20 October 2026, legislation.gov.uk showed section 3 in force only for specified purposes, not in full. The Families First Partnership guide expects these teams to work alongside the front door. Expect local front door arrangements to change over 2026 to 2027.

Common questions

How long do MASH referrals take?

Working Together 2026 says children's social care should acknowledge a referral and decide next steps within one working day. If the child is assessed, the assessment should reach a decision within 45 working days of the referral. Where a child needs immediate protection, action should be taken as soon as possible.

Is a MASH referral serious?

A referral means a practitioner, or someone else, is worried enough about a child to ask children's social care to look at it. It doesn't mean a decision has been made. Many referrals lead to advice, support from universal services or Family Help rather than child protection enquiries.

What happens after a safeguarding referral has been made?

For a referral about a child, children's social care should acknowledge it within one working day and decide the type of response. It may contact the referrer to clarify the concern, gather information from other agencies and decide whether the child needs immediate protection, a child in need assessment, section 47 enquiries, Family Help or no further action. The referrer should get feedback on the decision. The school should record the outcome and keep supporting the child.

Do all child protection referrals go through MASH?

No. A MASH is a local arrangement, and not every area has one. Referrals go to local authority children's social care through whatever route your area publishes, which might be called a front door, a MASH or something else. If a crime may have been committed, you may also need to tell the police, and if a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Will the school be told the outcome of a referral?

It should be. Working Together 2026 says children's social care should give the referrer feedback on the decisions taken, including why a case doesn't meet the statutory threshold where that applies. KCSIE 2026 says the referrer should follow up if this information doesn't arrive.

Does MASH contact parents?

Usually, yes. Working Together 2026 says the lead practitioner should tell the child and family what action will be taken, unless that might jeopardise a police investigation or put the child at risk of significant harm. How and when parents are contacted is set by local procedures.

What if you disagree with the MASH decision?

Follow up with children's social care first. If you are still not satisfied, Working Together 2026 says you should escalate your concerns in line with your local procedures. Each local safeguarding partnership publishes its own escalation or resolution process.