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Working Together 2026 — What Changed for Police

Working Together to Safeguard Children 2026 (WT2026) was published on 18 March 2026, replacing the 2023 edition, and refined how police work within multi-agency safeguarding. The headline changes affecting police operational practice are:

Key changes for referral practice

Statutory Basis for Sharing

UK GDPR, Article 6(1)(e) and the Data Protection Act 2018 both permit the disclosure of personal data where it is necessary for the performance of a public task and in the public interest. Child safeguarding referrals meet this test. Where a referral is urgent and involves risk to life, the common law duty of care independently permits disclosure. Data protection law is not a barrier to safeguarding referrals.

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Contextual Safeguarding — What It Means for Police

Contextual Safeguarding (developed by Prof Carlene Firmin, Bedfordshire University) is an approach that recognises children can be harmed in contexts beyond the family home — by peers, in public spaces, online, and through gang or criminal networks. WT2026 adopts this framework and requires safeguarding partners (including police) to assess and intervene in these wider contexts.

Practical implications for police referrals

Contextual Safeguarding ≠ Targeting Communities

Contextual Safeguarding is about identifying harmful contexts that affect children, not about targeting specific communities or groups. Intelligence sharing must be proportionate and have a clear safeguarding purpose. Sharing community-level intelligence without a link to a specific child at risk should be discussed with your safeguarding supervisor before referral.

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Extra-Familial Harm — WT2026 Definitions

WT2026 uses the term extra-familial harm to describe harm to children that occurs primarily outside the family home. This is a statutory term — police should use it in referral documentation to ensure MASH respond using the appropriate framework.

CategoryWT2026 Definition / ScopePolice Referral Indicator
Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE) Child manipulated or coerced into committing criminal activity for the benefit of a third party; includes county lines, cuckooing, drug running, and gang activity Child found at cuckooed address; found OT; knife or drugs found; known gang associate; NRM indicators
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Sexual activity in exchange for something (including material, emotional, or social benefits) where consent is absent or coerced; may involve individual or organised abuse Relationship with controlling older partner; unexplained gifts; found at unknown residential address; online grooming progression to meeting
Serious Violence Gang-related violence, peer-on-peer assault, knife crime as a form of contextual harm to children — not limited to the child as offender Child is victim of gang violence; threats received; fearful about route to school; online drill scoresheet implicating them
Online Harm Grooming, sexual exploitation, radicalisation, and abuse occurring through digital platforms; Online Safety Act 2023 creates additional context CEOP disclosure; IIOC found; child distressed by online contact; sextortion indicators
Peer-on-Peer Abuse Abuse perpetrated by a child's peer group, including sexual harassment, cyberbullying, upskirting, and coercive sexual activity Report from school; victim unwilling to attend school; sexual images shared within peer group; assault within peer group
Radicalisation / Prevent Exploitation of a child by extremist networks; process and influence of radicalisation is a form of extra-familial harm Channel referral by school; extremist material found; sudden ideological shift; known extremist associate contact
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MASH Referral Decision Flowchart

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Is there a child (under 18) involved?
If yes — safeguarding obligations apply to all subsequent actions. Continue to Step 2. If no — consider adult safeguarding referral if a vulnerable adult is present.
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2
Is there immediate risk to life or safety?
YES → Call 999 if not already on scene. Request Emergency Duty Team (EDT) if social care input required immediately. Proceed to arrest / intervention AND continue to make MASH referral same shift.
NO → Continue to Step 3
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3
Do you have reasonable cause to suspect significant harm?
Significant harm = ill-treatment (physical, emotional, sexual) or impairment of health/development attributable to the care given — or extra-familial harm (CCE, CSE, peer abuse, radicalisation). WT2026: the bar is reasonable cause to suspect, not proof.
YES → Make a Section 47 MASH referral. This triggers a child protection enquiry.
NO → Continue to Step 4
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Is the child in need (even without confirmed abuse)?
"Child in need" = a child unlikely to achieve or maintain reasonable health/development without support services (s.17 Children Act 1989). Includes children at risk from extra-familial harm, children in exploitative situations, looked-after children without adequate support.
YES → Make a Section 17 MASH referral for assessment.
NO → Consider Early Help (Step 5)
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5
Are there safeguarding concerns below the MASH threshold?
If no immediate s.47 or s.17 threshold met, consider: Early Help referral to local authority; school notification (DSL); intelligence log only for pattern-building; or no further action if no ongoing safeguarding concern.
YES → Make Early Help referral AND submit intelligence log.
NO → Submit intelligence log only. Record rationale for no referral.
Document Non-Referral Decisions

Where you decide not to make a MASH referral, you must record the rationale in the intelligence log and on the CAD/incident record. "No safeguarding concern identified" is not sufficient — explain what indicators were absent and why the threshold was not met. This protects you and creates an audit trail if the situation escalates.

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Information to Gather Before Referring

A MASH referral is significantly more useful to social care when it contains structured information. Gather the following before or immediately after calling.