Multi agency Front Door Arrangements
The multi-agency front-door services are often referred to as ‘MASHs’ (Multi-agency Safeguarding Hub) but are also known as Integrated Front Doors and Single Points of Access.
On June 25th 2025, research was published to develop understanding of how MASHs work, for whom and in which contexts: evaluation-of-multi-agency-safeguarding-hubs.pdf. This study theorised that the MASH can be classified into two main models:
From this research, the front door seems to exist on a spectrum, according to how far a needs assessment and service planning function is performed. The study suggests that for a front door service to work effectively, it should:
- Include strong practitioner relationships
- Have a stable, skilled, and experienced workforce.
Parental consent for information sharing was highlighted as often being a difficult and confusing issue for practitioners.
An effective MASH should result in:
- Timely and relevant information sharing
- Multi-agency informed decision-making
- A reduced likelihood of missing or underestimating risk to a child
- Swift needs assessment
- Enhanced practitioner confidence and wellbeing.
This below template summarises the key findings from the research to help local multi agency practitioners, managers and leaders assess Front Door/MASH effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. The template reference Ofsted Inspection criteria.