Managing Allegations against Adults in a position of trust who work with children - LADO

Children can become victims of abuse and exploitation by those who work with them in any setting.  They have been found to be vulnerable in all organisational settings including social care, education, health care, the leisure industry and in faith communities.

Section 7 of the SET procedures for Allegations against staff or volunteers, who work with children, is based on the framework for dealing with allegations made against an adult who works with children and should be followed by all organisations providing services for children and young people.

Compliance with these procedures will help to ensure that allegations are dealt with consistently and in a timely manner; that a thorough, proportionate and fair process is followed and that processes are open to challenge.

Arrangements for managing concerns or allegations of this nature should be robust and effective in keeping children safe. All allegations should be taken seriously, approached with an open mind, and not be driven by preconceived opinions about whether a child has or has not been harmed.

LADO Threshold - if there are concerns/allegations that a person who works with children has:

To report a concern or allegation to the Thurrock LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) that an adult working or volunteering with children:

• 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; or
• Behaved or may have behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to work with children.

In order to deal with your request please complete the referral form in the initial instance and return to LADO@thurrock.gov.uk.

The working hours for the LADO service are Monday to Thursday 09.00 – 17.30 and Friday 09.00 – 16.30.  Any emails received in this time will be dealt with as soon as possible. 

If your email is outside of these hours it will be dealt with at the earliest opportunity the following working day.

If the LADO is not in the office, your email will be read and dealt with by those covering the role.

During working hours, if you need to speak to someone urgently in relation to the LADO role (allegations regarding someone who works with children) please call the LADO Mobile 07762 406606 and leave a message if the phone is not answered immediately.

During working hours, for Child Protection concerns regarding a child please call Thurrock MASH on 01375 652802, or via email on thurrockmash@thurrock.gov.uk

For emergencies out of these hours, please contact the Emergency Duty Service on 01375 372468. 

Role of the Thurrock LADO

The Thurrock LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) promotes a safer children’s workforce by providing effective guidance, advice and investigation oversight to cases.

Thurrock LADO may be able to offer advice and assist with communication in situations which sit outside the statutory criteria, albeit at the discretion of the LADO Officer and where the broader goals of a safer children’s workforce are relevant.

The service will give advice on how concerns or allegations should be investigated, including if a referral needs to be raised with the Police and/or Children’s Social Care. Thurrock LADO is not directly responsible for investigatory activities but will actively support any investigation, and give advice around a range of parameters including suspension, possible media interest, when to tell the adult, and ensure all interested parties are appropriately linked together.

Thurrock LADO will retain oversight of individual cases to ensure concerns or allegations are investigated thoroughly in a fair and timely manner, and will advise in relation to any subsequent duties to communicate with regulatory bodies and/or the DBS. For more information please download the Thurrock LADO Leaflet.

To make a referral to the Thurrock LADO, please contact lado@thurrock.gov.uk for a referral form.