Profile of repeat victimisation within multi-agency referrals

Abstract

To help reduce victimisation, safeguarding practices in England and Wales are becoming more
multi-agency, with Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH) being a contemporary example of
such an approach. MASH aims to reduce victimisation by identifying and managing vulnerability at
the earliest opportunity. This is achieved through the co-location of safeguarding agencies, joint
decision making and the co-ordination of interventions. Previous research has indicated that the
demand placed upon MASH often outweighs available resources, questioning the extent to which
MASH effectively safeguards vulnerable people at the earliest opportunity. Whilst existing literature
has focused upon the characteristics of MASH referrals, alongside referral processes, rates of
repeat referrals have been overlooked. This paper aims to bridge this gap by exploring the number
of repeat referrals made over a two-month period to a MASH location in the north-west of
England (n ¼ 2,134). By investigating repeat referrals, reasons why some individuals are susceptible
to being victimised on multiple occasions are identified. The paper concludes that whilst MASH has
taken a step towards identifying and managing victimisation, practices and processes need to be
reviewed if MASH is to proactively prevent repeat victimisation.