The ‘front door’ to Council teams providing a first response to children and families when professionals and members of the public ask for more help for a family or report a safeguarding concern about a child or young person, is undergoing some changes.
The multi-disciplinary service is extending its hours and operating seven days a week, which means it will be more responsive and effective at dealing with all concerns and enquiries.
Previously, the ‘front door’ to children’s social care teams (the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub - MASH) was only open 9am to 5pm on weekdays, with all other new contacts out of these hours being dealt with by an ‘out of hours’ team. The new service brings the MASH and out of hours teams together into one extended service, called Families First – Children’s Services, which will be accessible with one phone number.
From Monday 2 June 2025, the new multi-disciplinary team will respond to concerns and referrals between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 5pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Outside of these hours, an Emergency Duty Service will always be on-call to review any overnight enquiries and respond to children at immediate risk of significant harm, urgent adult safeguarding risks and immediate risk of homelessness.
If you need to contact our team at any time to get more help for a family or because you have a safeguarding concern about a child or young person, call 01752 668000.
The newly extended hours will mean children, families and vulnerable adults are supported with the right help at the right time.
It will also mean that professionals – including teachers, police officers and healthcare staff - are able to get advice and support at a time that better suits their work patterns.
Ultimately, the changes will mean that children, families and vulnerable residents will receive more consistent help and support, with their needs being met in a timely way, and the staff team will be ready to respond proactively to issues and provide advice.
Families and professionals who need support that is not an urgent safeguarding concern, can book a call with one of our Family Support Workers via the Early Help and SEND Advice line.