Children's Social Work: Our Teams

First Response Service

The First Response Service includes our Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), duty teams and the Out of Hours team (OOH).

Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub

MASH receive all new information about children, young people and their families. This includes situations where help and support is required, as well as when children are in need of social work support, protection and care. MASH have an important role in determining what level of support is required for children and their families and use threshold criteria to determine this. Their role also ensures that partner agencies working with children have offered all appropriate support prior to considering alternative services. MASH is made up of a compliment of social workers, Rotherham information officers, police staff, representatives from health and education and together they are able to make decisions in the best interest of children. MASH hold daily meetings where high risk domestic abuse incidents have occurred and also run Operation Encompass, ensuring the next school day is better for children.

Duty Teams

Where MASH agree that threshold is met and a social care assessment is required, the duty teams undertake this work. The team is on duty for a week at a time with their manager where they are responsible for assessing all incoming children. This might be S17 assessments, or more commonly S47 investigations alongside the police and partner agencies. Duty social workers are skilled and experienced in quickly gaining children’s wishes and feelings; putting safety plans in place; utilising the network around the family to create safety, recognising strengths, collating and analysing a range of information to better understand a child’s situation. The duty teams work closely with the Protecting Vulnerable People Police team who are collocated with them in Riverside House.

Out Of Hours Team

The out of hours team provides an emergency response on evenings, weekends and bank holidays. The team are skilled, experienced and resourceful social workers who provide a service until matters can be passed onto appropriate day time services. There are two social workers on shift at any one time. They work closely with the Police, as well as Rotherham hospital, and are supported by an on call manager.