The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) works within Children’s Services. They provide guidance to employers and voluntary organisations on concerns relating to adults who work with children and young people.
These include:
- paid employees
- volunteers
- casual or agency staff
- foster carers
- religious leaders
- school governors
- any other people who have contact with children and young people as part of their role
Referral to the LADO
All agencies that provide services for children have a duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote their welfare.
They must have clear policies in place for dealing with allegations made against staff who work with children.
Allegations must be reported:
- immediately to a senior manager within the organisation
- to the LADO within one working day
This also applies to historical allegations that have come to light.
Policies and procedures must be consistent with the following guidance:
- Working Together to Safeguard Children on GOV.UK
- Bracknell Forest Safeguarding Board (BFSB) child safeguarding
The procedure for managing allegations should be used in all cases when it is alleged that a member of staff or volunteer has:
- behaved in a way that has harmed or may have harmed a child
- possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children
- behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children
The LADO will respond to all contacts within one working day. Making contact with the LADO must not delay the need to refer cases to the police or to Children’s Services if more immediate safeguarding concerns are present.
What the LADO does
As a first step, you will have a discussion with the LADO about the details of your concern. This may include guidance on the best way to manage the allegation.
Following that, the LADO may:
- establish what the next steps should be in terms of investigating the matter further
- liaise with the police and other agencies
- arrange a LADO allegations meeting if threshold for this is met
- monitor and maintain an overview of cases to make sure they are dealt quickly and in a thorough and fair way
In cases where the adult is unaware of the concern or allegation, it may not be appropriate to tell them immediately. This may prejudice a potential police investigation.
Outcomes
The outcome of a LADO investigation is determined after a police investigation and/or a Children's Services investigation. These investigations may happen at the same time. They can also take place alongside any internal or disciplinary investigations conducted by an employer.
At the end of the case, the LADO will tell the employer if they need to refer to the Disclosure and Barring Service or other relevant professional body.
Referral form and guidance
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Document
LADO referral form
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ASV - guidelines for meeting
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