What Are Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs)?

Child protection in England is entering a new era. As part of the Government's wider Families First Partnership (FFP) programme, Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs) will become a key part of how agencies work together to protect children at risk of significant harm.

The aim is to improve information sharing, strengthen decision-making and ensure children receive faster, more coordinated support when safeguarding concerns arise.

For schools, colleges and other education providers, these reforms will change how child protection cases are managed while reinforcing the crucial role education professionals play within the safeguarding system.

What Are Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs)?

Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams (MACPTs) are specialist teams bringing together professionals from different agencies to make joint decisions about children who may be experiencing, or are at risk of, significant harm.

Rather than agencies working largely in parallel, MACPTs create a dedicated team that can assess risk, share information quickly and coordinate child protection activity.

The reforms stem from recommendations made following the Independent Review of Children's Social Care and the national safeguarding review into the tragic deaths of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, both of which identified inconsistent information sharing and fragmented decision-making as significant factors in safeguarding failures.

MACPTs are intended to become centres of specialist child protection expertise within every local safeguarding partnership, supporting local authorities while improving consistency across England.

Who Will Be Involved?

Legislation requires every MACPT to include professionals from four core disciplines:

• A qualified social worker
• A police representative
• A registered healthcare professional
• A professional with education experience

Local safeguarding partnerships may also include additional specialists depending on local needs, such as:

• Mental health practitioners
• Early help professionals
• Youth justice representatives
• Domestic abuse specialists
• Substance misuse practitioners

Bringing these professionals together means decisions can be made using a complete picture of a child's circumstances, rather than relying on separate assessments carried out by individual agencies.

How Will Referrals Change?

One of the biggest changes is what happens after a safeguarding referral, rather than how concerns are initially raised.

Schools will continue to follow their existing safeguarding procedures:

• Staff report concerns to the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL).
• The DSL decides whether to refer to children's social care.
• Immediate concerns still require emergency action where appropriate.

However, once a referral reaches children's social care, MACPTs will play a much greater role.

They are expected to:

• Lead strategy discussions
• Support Section 47 enquiries
• Coordinate information gathering between agencies
• Convene child protection conferences
• Oversee child protection plans
• Provide expert consultation to professionals working with children

This should reduce duplication, improve consistency and allow agencies to reach decisions more quickly.

What Does This Mean for Schools?

Schools remain one of the most important safeguarding partners.

Teachers, pastoral staff and Designated Safeguarding Leads are often the professionals who know children best and may be the first to notice changes in behaviour, attendance or wellbeing.

Under the new arrangements, schools are likely to experience:

Greater involvement in multi-agency decision-making

Education professionals will have an enhanced voice within child protection discussions, ensuring educational information is considered alongside police, health and social care intelligence.

Better information sharing

One of the main objectives of MACPTs is to improve the speed and quality of information sharing, giving schools clearer insight into safeguarding plans where appropriate.

More coordinated child protection planning

Instead of multiple agencies working separately, schools should experience more joined-up communication with agreed actions and clearer responsibilities.

Increased expectations for safeguarding practice

The reforms reinforce the importance of:

• Accurate safeguarding records
• Timely referrals
• High-quality chronologies
• Attendance at child protection meetings
• Ongoing safeguarding training for staff

For DSLs, this means maintaining strong working relationships with local safeguarding partners will become even more important.

A Practical Example

Imagine a Year 8 pupil whose attendance has dropped significantly.

Teachers have noticed changes in behaviour, while the school nurse has concerns about emotional wellbeing. Police have attended several domestic abuse incidents at the family home, and children's social care has previously received low-level concerns.

Under previous arrangements

Each agency may hold different pieces of information. Decisions could take longer while professionals contact one another separately.

Under a MACPT

Social care, police, health and education professionals review the information together, assess risk collectively and agree immediate protective actions.

This creates a faster, more informed response and reduces the likelihood that important warning signs are overlooked.

Why Are These Changes Being Introduced?

The reforms are driven by evidence showing that effective multi-agency working leads to better outcomes for children.

Government research found that safeguarding failures often result from:

• Delays in sharing information
• Different agencies assessing risk differently
• Lack of specialist child protection expertise
• Fragmented decision-making

Early evaluations of Families First pathfinder areas have already reported stronger collaboration between agencies and improved joint working.

Child Protection in England: The Bigger Picture

The need for effective safeguarding remains significant.

Recent national statistics show:

• Around 400,000 referrals are made to children's social care in England each year.
• Approximately 650,000 children are recognised as being "in need" during the year.
• More than 50,000 children are subject to child protection plans at any one time.

These figures demonstrate the scale of safeguarding activity and why improving coordination between agencies is considered a national priority.

Implementation Timeline

MACPTs form part of the Government's Families First Partnership Programme, which is being introduced in phases across England.

Current plans include:

• 2025–26: Pathfinder areas continue testing Family Help and multi-agency child protection reforms.
• 2026–27: Wider rollout begins, supported by government funding and statutory guidance.
• Future years: All safeguarding partnerships will be expected to establish Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams as part of their statutory safeguarding arrangements, subject to the implementation timetable in the Children and Schools Wellbeing reforms.

As local implementation may vary, schools should monitor updates from their local safeguarding partnership and local authority.

How Schools Can Prepare

Although referral pathways into children's social care remain largely unchanged, schools can prepare by:

• Reviewing safeguarding policies and referral procedures.
• Ensuring Designated Safeguarding Leads understand the Families First reforms.
• Maintaining accurate safeguarding records and chronologies.
• Strengthening relationships with local safeguarding partners.
• Providing regular safeguarding and child protection training for all staff.

Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams Will Continue to Join-Up Safeguarding

Multi-Agency Child Protection Teams represent one of the most significant reforms to child protection in England for many years.

For schools, the changes are less about creating additional responsibilities and more about improving the system around them. By bringing together education, health, police and social care professionals into dedicated specialist teams, MACPTs aim to make safeguarding decisions faster, more consistent and better informed.

As implementation continues, schools that maintain strong safeguarding practice and invest in regular staff training will be well placed to work effectively within this new collaborative approach to protecting children.