Profile of repeat victimisation within multi-agency referrals
| Date | 01 September 2020 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0269758020902890 |
| Published date | 01 September 2020 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Profile of repeat victimisation
within multi-agency referrals
Sarah Shorrock
University of Central Lancashire, UK
Michelle A McManus
Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Stuart Kirby
University of Central Lancashire, UK
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 litera-
ture 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 (n¼2,134). 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.
Keywords
Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub, safeguarding, victimisation, vulnerability
Corresponding author:
Sarah Shorrock, School of Forensic and Applied Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire
PR1 2HE, UK.
Email: sshorrock1@uclan.ac.uk
International Review of Victimology
2020, Vol. 26(3) 332–343
ªThe Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0269758020902890
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