Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and allegations against childcare professionals and volunteers

IMPORTANT -  All allegations and concerns must be reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) within the same working day.

Local Authority Designated Officer

The Local Authority has a designated officers (LADO) to:

• Provide advice and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations
• Liaise with the police and other agencies
• Monitor the progress of cases to ensure that they are dealt with as quickly as possible consistent with a thorough and fair process.

The role of the LADO is to coordinate all allegations and concerns made against a person who works with children within the City of York. As such, all allegations and concerns must be reported to the LADO (see below). 

The LADO will maintain a database of all allegations and concerns received and will provide reports to the CYSCB at least annually or on request.

The LADO will advise, in discussion with the the Senior Manager within the Organisation (SMO), on what action should be taken by the employer and whether the matter should be referred to Children's Social Care and the Police for a decision on whether to convene a  strategy meeting or an initial evaluation meeting.

Contact

If you wish to make an allegation or you have a concern about a professional working with children, young or vulnerable people, a referral should be sent to the Local Authority Designated Officer using the LADO Referral Form, giving as much detail as possible.  Completed LADO Referral Forms should be emailed using secure mail to  lado@york.gov.uk  If you do not have secure email please contact 01904 551783 to make your referral or to seek advice. 

Further LADO guidance is available by clicking here. 

Scope 

These procedures should be followed by all organisations that provide services for children or young people or provide staff or volunteers to work with or care for children or young people. These procedures should also be applied to foster carers and prospective adopters.

The scope of these procedures is not just for those cases relating to significant harm and should be applied in all circumstances where an allegation is made or a concern arises that any person who works or has worked with children, in a paid or unpaid capacity, has, towards any child:

• Behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child

• Possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child, or

• Behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children

Allegations may arise in a number of ways from a number of sources e.g. a concern, suspicion, complaint or report from a child, parent or other adult within or outside of the organisation; information arising from a disciplinary, criminal or s47 child protection investigation.

It should be noted that all agencies should have internal procedures for dealing with allegations against employees, volunteers, foster carers and prospective adopters (as relevant) that comply with these procedures.

Concern about a Child

If you have a safeguarding concern for a child in your school or setting, or any other child you may know of or have contact with, this should be referred in the usual way to Children's Social Care on: Tel: 01904 551900

If a child is in immediate danger, please dial 999.

If you urgently need to speak to a social worker outside office hours, before 8.30am or after 5.00pm, at weekends and on public holidays, please contact the Emergency Duty Team:

Tel: 01609 780780 or e-mail:  edt@northyorks.gov.uk

Advice about School Safeguarding Arrangements

Advice and support  is provided by the Schools' Safeguarding Adviser, Caroline Wood (01904 555694).