NEW: The Kinship Care Practice Guide translates the strongest evidence into actionable recommendations. Find out more.
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NEW: The Kinship Care Practice Guide translates the strongest evidence into actionable recommendations. Find out more.
This protocol summarises plans for an implementation and process evaluation (IPE) of Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH) and other similar multi-agency integrated front-door services across three sites in England.
We have commissioned University College London (UCL) and Newcastle University to carry out the study, funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and Home Office.
Currently, the picture of MASH structures in England is highly variable. MASH vary in their implementation, components, tailoring, and context, which influences the outcomes of the service. This IPE will explore how and why MASH’s work and how they could contribute to better outcomes for children, young people, and their families. It will seek to tell us the common components, mechanisms, and feedback loops within a MASH, as well as the context in which they work. Although this is not an impact evaluation, and therefore cannot tell us about the impact of whether a MASH does or does not contribute to better outcomes, it can tell us about the perceived impact of a MASH and what outcomes we might expect to see.
This IPE will create a Programme Theory on MASH by conducting a series of qualitative interviews and observations with professionals working in a MASH, as well as some families who have been part of a MASH, across three local sites in England.
The research questions are as follows:
