Assessment and intake

Assessment and intake teams carry out initial assessments with children and families to identify risk and determine appropriate support.

Specialist areas of practice

Other names 

Multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH), assessment and intervention, family assessment, referral and assessment, first response team, access and assessment. Your responsibilities will vary depending on your role and position in the team. 

What you’ll do 

Social workers in assessment and intake teams are expected to: 

  • carry out initial assessments with children in response to concerns about their safety or well-being 
  • establish constructive relationships with children and families in relatively short periods of time 
  • assess risk and take action to ensure the safety and well-being of children 
  • assess the welfare of children in the home and their family circumstances 
  • determine appropriate support and make referrals to relevant services 
  • advocate for children and ensure their voices are heard 
  • develop plans that promote positive outcomes for children and families 
  • establish a coordinated approach with multi-agency partners 

Skills and knowledge 

The skills and knowledge you need will vary depending on your role and position in the team. 

Social workers in assessment and intake teams are expected to have: 

  • the ability to rapidly establish relationships with children and families 
  • an understanding of relevant legislation and policies relating to child safeguarding 
  • the ability to identify and respond to signs of abuse, neglect or harm 
  • skills in carrying out assessments and developing support plans 
  • analytical and report writing skills to facilitate decision-making 
  • knowledge of appropriate actions to ensure the safety of vulnerable children 
  • knowledge of a wide range of practice areas such as domestic abuse, substance abuse and mental health 
  • the ability to develop and implement plans and interventions 
  • experience of working effectively with multi-agency partners 

Who you’ll work with 

You could work with external partners and services including: 

  • police and emergency services 
  • health services 
  • schools 
  • housing departments 
  • substance misuse workers 
  • domestic abuse specialists 

Current opportunities 

The Find a job service can help you with your search for jobs and send alerts when new jobs become available. 

Next page: Child protection and safeguarding

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These resources have been developed by Department for Education.
Published: 13 December 2023
Last updated: 21 November 2025
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