Now live - new children's MASH front door triage

The new front door triage function has been introduced within the Children's Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), providing professionals and members of the public with a clearer route to advice and support when they have concerns about a child.

The new triage function allows you to speak directly with an experienced practitioner, talk through your concerns and identify the most appropriate next steps before a formal referral into Children's MASH is made.

This may include signposting to universal services, family help, community-based support or other agencies better placed to meet the identified needs. Where the discussion identifies that a child may be at risk of significant harm, an immediate safeguarding response will be initiated through MASH.

The new approach aims to:

✅ Strengthen partnership working

✅ Support more effective use of professional expertise

✅ Improve outcomes for children and families by ensuring they receive the right help at the earliest opportunity

If you are concerned about a child, visit Report child abuse and safeguarding concerns

Practitioner and manager engagement opportunities: Help shape Oldham's response to exploitation and modern slavery

Practitioners and managers across the Oldham partnership are invited to support ongoing work with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) across Greater Manchester to strengthen how partners identify, assess and support people affected by exploitation and modern slavery. Your experience and insight will directly inform the development of Oldham's refreshed Exploitation Strategy in 2027, and help to ensure that pathways, guidance and support reflect the realities of practice.

Why get involved?

  • Share frontline experiences and examples of effective practice.
  • Highlight barriers, gaps and opportunities for improvement.
  • Influence future partnership priorities and pathways.
  • Help strengthen Oldham's and Greater Manchester's response to exploitation and modern slavery.
  • Learn from colleagues across different agencies and sectors.

Your voice matters: Register your interest

Whether you work in safeguarding, health, social care, housing, policing, education, community safety or the voluntary sector, your views can help improve how we prevent exploitation, identify risk and support people to recover. We are seeking expressions of interest from practitioners and managers who would like to attend a workshop at 1:00pm to 2:30pm on Thursday 10 December 2026 via Microsoft Teams and/or get involved in other ways e.g. completing a survey: Register your interest form 

The more voices we hear, the stronger our response will be. 

White ribbon day – 25 November 2026

White Ribbon Day is an opportunity to raise awareness of violence against women and girls and the role we all play in preventing it.

Violence against women and girls does not happen in isolation. It can begin with harmful attitudes, everyday sexism and comments that are dismissed as "just a joke", "just banter" or "boys being boys". Challenging these behaviours helps create a culture where abuse and violence are not tolerated.

To support practitioners in developing their understanding of these issues, Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership has places available on the following training opportunities:

Wednesday 25 November (10am – 12pm)

Register for the Understanding Misogyny webinar

Thursday 3 December (10am – 11am)

Register for the Coercive control and children webinar

To find out more about White Ribbon Day and ways to get involved, visit the White Ribbon Day 2026 website

National safeguarding adults week November 2026

Safeguarding Adults Week is a time for organisations to come together to raise awareness of important safeguarding issues.

Oldham Safeguarding Adults Board Training Opportunities

More Information
Find out the details of all the training opportunities and new resource launches planned in Oldham focused on the key learning and themes which have emerged locally in the last few years: OSAB Safeguarding Adults Week Schedule 

Enough is enough: supporting victims of domestic abuse

Could you spot the signs of domestic abuse? As professionals, friends, colleagues or family members, we may be one of the first people someone turns to when experiencing domestic abuse.

Knowing how to respond can feel daunting, but you do not need to have all the answers. Listening without judgement, believing what someone tells you and providing a safe space to talk can make a significant difference.

The Enough Campaign is a UK Government campaign that encourages everyone to play a role in preventing violence against women and girls. It raises awareness of behaviours such as domestic abuse, coercive control, stalking, sexual violence, harassment and image-based abuse, and highlights the importance of recognising concerns, challenging harmful behaviours safely and supporting those affected.

By increasing our understanding and confidence to respond, we can help create safer communities and ensure that victims receive the support they need. Together, we can show that when it comes to abuse and violence, enough is enough.

If you are interested in booking a place for this course, please complete the online booking form

Background Information
Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting family members, friends and neighbours who could not manage without their help. However, many carers remain unidentified and may not be accessing the support, advice, and services available to them.

Course Aims and Objectives
This session is designed to help professionals identify, understand, and support unpaid carers within our communities. This training session will provide an overview of:
- Who unpaid carers are and the impact of caring
- The impact of caring on health, wellbeing, employment, and education
- Carers' rights under the Care Act 2014
- How to identify carers in your service
- The support available through the Oldham Carers Service
- Making effective referrals and signposting carers to appropriate support
- How organisations can become more carer-friendly
- Safeguarding and Unpaid Carers

The session will be interactive and provide practical tools and resources that participants can use within their own organisations to improve outcomes for unpaid carers. By increasing awareness and identification of carers, we can work together to ensure carers receive the recognition, information and support they deserve.

Time/Date/Venue

10:00-12:00, 17 December 2026, via Microsoft Teams. Please note, this session will be recorded.

Oldham’s big brush month

It is recognised that our borough faces some of the highest rates of childhood tooth decay, ranking among the worst in the country. Poor oral health can have a significant impact on a child's wellbeing and, in some cases, may be an indicator of neglect. As neglect remains a priority for the partnership, improving children's oral health and promoting good oral hygiene are important areas of prevention and early intervention.

Big brush month is a local campaign supported by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Oldham Council and is a fantastic opportunity to promote the key toothbrushing messages. To download oral health posters and leaflets register for a campaign resource centre account and access Best start in life, children's oral health resources

For more information visit:

• Good oral health for all the family - Oldham best start family hubs

• How to take care of your baby or toddler's teeth

• My dental buddy brushing app

• DJ brush app

Partnership spotlight: from lived experience to meaningful change

A new blog by Made By Mortals highlights the impact of its partnership with the Oldham Safeguarding Adults Board (OSAB) and Oldham Safeguarding Children Partnership (OSCP), exploring how lived experience has been used to inform safeguarding practice, learning and strategy across Oldham.

The blog reflects on collaborative projects including Eggshells and Sadiqa, which have helped bring the voices of people with lived experience into practitioner training, partnership events and strategic discussions. It also showcases the value of adults' and children's safeguarding partners working together to promote learning and drive meaningful change.

Read the full blog: From Lived Experience to Meaningful Change: The Power of Partnership