Managing allegations against adults working with children (for professionals)

What is Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

Every local authority has a statutory responsibility to have a LADO who is responsible for co-ordinating the response to concerns that a person (aged 16 plus) who works with children may have caused them or could cause them harm.

The LADO works within children’s services and gives advice and guidance to employers, organisations and other individuals who have concerns about the behaviour of an person who works with children and young people. Included in this group are volunteers, agency staff and foster carers as well as people who are in a position of authority and have regular contact with children.

What is the LADO’s role?

• To coordinate the safeguarding and investigative process in response to allegations made against people working with children.
• To provide advice/guidance to employers or voluntary organisations when there are concerns or allegations about individuals who work with children.
• To liaise with police and other agencies including Ofsted and professional bodies such as the Disclosure and Baring Service (DBS) General Medical Council (GMC) and the Teaching Regulatory Agency (TRA).
• To monitor the progress of referrals to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible, consistent with a thorough and fair process.
• To resolve any inter-agency issues.
• To collect strategic data and maintain a confidential database in relation to allegations.
• To ensure that measures are in place to prevent further harm or abuse and that where required, referrals are made to the appropriate social care team or regulatory body.

What should be referred to the LADO?

The LADO should be alerted to all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:

• behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against children, or related to a child
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicated they may pose a risk of harm to children
• behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates that they may not be suitable to work with children

Allegations of non recent abuse should be responded to in the same way as contemporary concerns. In such cases, it is important to find out whether the person against whom the allegation is made is still working with children and if so, the LADO will inform the person’s current employer or voluntary organisation or refer their family for assessment.

Any concern that meets the criteria above should be referred within one working day of the concern coming to your attention. You can do this by completing the LADO contact form.

Initially, it may be unclear how serious the allegation is. If there is any doubt, you should contact the LADO or lead person for safeguarding in your agency for advice. For information about what to do when concerns come to your attention please see advice for organisations guidance.

How to contact the LADO

If you need to contact Devon’s LADO, please consider all the guidance for organisations first.

For any requests for advice, please complete the LADO contact form or email childsc.localauthoritydesignatedofficersecure-mailbox@devon.gov.uk.

Completion of the LADO contact form will ensure that background checks can be made and that the LADO has all the information available to assist them in giving advice and making a decision.

It is important that information is given in full, correct details are shared and all sections are answered where appropriate. Missing information could delay the LADO being able to process and respond to the concern.

Cross-boundary issues

Where a child from the Devon Local Authority area makes an allegation in a setting or placement which is outside the Devon County Council jurisdiction, the lead responsibility for action lies with the LADO for the area where the person who the allegation is about works and/or where the organisational risk lies.

In these circumstances, the LADO from the area where the individual works and, where appropriate, the child’s social worker, will liaise and agree a way forward.

The LADO from that local authority will be responsible for ensuring that safeguarding is in place for any other children in that setting and sharing information.

Interviews of children from Devon Local Authority areas will usually be undertaken by Devon County Council children’s social care services, where they are involved, in conjunction with the police if there is a police investigation into the allegations.

Where the referral relates to a child from another local authority temporarily placed in an establishment located within the Devon Local Authority area, the Devon LADO should liaise with the child’s home authority about the roles and responsibilities.