New arrangements for Front Door: Manchester Advice & Guidance Service Locality Hubs

In March, Manchester launched a quicker and more effective system to replace written requests for social work intervention, when it is identified a child is in need of help support and protection.
Instead of making a written request, referrers now need to ring 0161 234 5001 to get through to specialist social care and early help staff, where you’ll be able to discuss your request promptly, efficiently and securely. This ensures you can access social work advice and guidance as to the next steps and right option for the child and their family.

With effect from 8th July we will move from a centralised MASH team, to three locality based hubs. The Manchester Advice and Guidance Hub will be delivered from North, Central and South localities, and will comprise co-located multi-agency staff including social care, early help, education, health and police. This approach will enable an integrated response to ensure that children and their families receive the right level of support and appropriate interventions at the right time, and that our partners are provided with quality advice, support and consultation at the first point of contact.

How you contact the teams is unchanged – both the public and professionals should ring 0161 234 5001. Partners calling this number will be put through to a locality social worker for advice.

Thank you again for your support as we move to our locality arrangements and our new model. It is appreciated and positive impacts are already being seen. The advice and guidance hubs are the first in a series of developments that will ensure children’s services are delivering locality working in the city.

We continue to need your support to reduce the number of written referrals further, in order to ensure that children and families get the right help at the right time. Remember…

• if you have concerns about a child or a family – call 0161 234 5001 to speak to a social worker for advice and guidance – do not email us
• this new telephone referral service is for professionals only
• the changes do not affect the public – it is business as usual.

The changes are only for children’s referrals. Adult’s referrals will still be via the online form at secure.manchester.gov.uk as there is no change to this system.

Before you call, do give due regard to the MSCB levels of need framework, and have you considered contact with an Early Help Hub?