Support from Social Care

Social care

Support from Social Care

The Multi Agency Screening Hub (MASH) is a multi-agency team made up of representatives from a range of services, including Social Care, Early Help, Police and Health Professionals and is a single point of contact for all concerns about children. This partnership approach will make it easier to get children, young people and families to get the right level of support as quickly as possible.

Referrals on situations that are not immediately urgent should be made via completing the MASH referral form and sending it via email: [email protected]. 

Contact the MASH team via telephone: 01904 551900.

Outside office hours, at weekends and on public holidays contact the emergency duty team telephone: 0300 131 2 131  alternatively, contact the MASH team by post: 

There are several reasons why you may wish to contact MASH:

• you're concerned about a child or young person
• you wish to refer yourself for an involvement from a social worker
• you may need access to information and advice from the social care teams
• you may like access to Early Help

Early Help

Everyone in the city of York who works with children, young people and families, has a responsibility to support the delivery of Early Help and support them in accessing appropriate services

Early Help is a collaboration and not the sole responsibility of one service.

Working Together (2018) says:

Everyone who works with children has a responsibility for keeping them safe

Early Help provides support at a time of need in a child or young person’s life and support can be given at any point including transition into becoming an adult.  An effective Early Help model is one of collaboration and brings together families, communities, professionals and systems to work together in a joined up co-ordinated approach to "ensure that children, young people and their families receive the right help at the right time."

The Disabled Children and Young People Team (DCYPT)

DCYPT are a team of social workers and child and family support practitioners with specialist knowledge relating to children’s disabilities and complex health care matters for children aged 0 to 18 who reside in York.

Support

The support DCYPT may range from:

• information about activities, clubs, playgroups and play schemes
• advice and information about other organisations which may be able to offer help and support
• support for the child inside and outside the home
• day care services such as childminding as part of a plan to enhance a child’s social interaction and meet specific needs
• Short Breaks providing overnight care

The DCYPT Duty Team can be contacted on telephone: 01904 555699 (for professionals and parents of those children who have allocated social worker). All other enquiries can be discussed by contacting MASH on telephone: 01904551900.

Accessing this support – Referral Process

If your child meets the eligibility criteria for support from the DCYPT, referrals will be made to and screened by MASH. Where a child meets the criteria, an assessment of need will be carried out, using information from both the family and from other professionals involved in that child’s life.

Short Breaks

Short Breaks are available for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.

Short Breaks for children come in many different forms:

• they provide opportunities for disabled children to enjoy themselves and fulfil their potential through safe experiences with or without their parent carer
• they give parent carers a break from caring, enabling them to have time to undertake whatever they would like to do, such as leisure activities, day-today tasks, spending time with other family members or education/training opportunities
• Short Breaks enhance the abilities of parent carers to care more effectively

City of York Council statement of purpose short breaks for disabled children