LADO: Allegations about adults who work with children (#2)
What is the LADO, or Local Authority Designated Officer?
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) manages concerns about adults who work or volunteer with children. This includes concerns about their behaviour at work or in their personal life.
The LADO advises employers and organisations on how to manage these concerns.
Before you make a referral
Parents, carers and members of the public
Do not use the LADO referral form if you are a parent or carer.
The LADO can only accept direct referrals from employers and professionals working in safeguarding roles.
If you are a parent or member of the public, watch our video explaining the LADO role for parents.
If you are concerned about someone who works or volunteers with children you should:
- report your concern to the person’s employer or senior safeguarding lead
- report a concern about a child or teenager if you are worried that a child may be at risk
- contact the police if you believe a crime has been committed
- call 999 if a child is in immediate danger
The employer is responsible for deciding whether the concern meets the criteria for a LADO referral. If it does, they should make a referral within one working day.
If the concern does not meet the LADO criteria, the employer may deal with it through their:
- lower-level concerns process
- disciplinary procedure
- complaints procedure
If you have already raised your concern with the employer and an investigation is taking place, the employer must update you about the investigation and its outcome.
If you are unhappy with how the employer has handled your concern, use their complaints procedure and follow any further escalation routes they provide.
Professionals
Choose the correct referral route before completing the online referral form.
- If a child is at risk of, or has suffered, significant harm: refer to the Single Point of Access (SPoA).
- If your concern is about an adult’s conduct or suitability to work with children: it may need a LADO referral.
If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
Should you refer to SPoA or LADO?
Refer to the Single Point of Access (SPoA)
Refer to the Single Point of Access (SPoA) when a child is at risk of, or has suffered, significant harm and an adult who works or volunteers with children has:
- 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
- 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.
Level 4 concerns that should be referred to SPoA include:
- contact or online sexual abuse
- suspected grooming
- physical abuse
- inappropriate restraint that has caused an injury
Identify the need for LADO involvement in the report.
Refer to the LADO
Refer directly to the LADO when the concern is about an adult’s conduct or suitability to work with children and it does not need to be reported to SPoA under the criteria above. LADO referrals may also be made through the police or social care.
Use the LADO form to:
- refer an allegation or concern about an adult who works or volunteers with children
- request information about an adult or setting
Do not use this form if the concern should be reported to SPoA. Parents, carers and members of the public cannot make a direct LADO referral.
Types of concern you can refer
Concerns can include:
- contact with children and young people through social media, personal email or phone
- emotional abuse, bullying, threats, intimidation or derogatory comments
- non-sexual contact that breaches a code of conduct or positive handling policy
- breaches of safeguarding policies and procedures relating to professional conduct
- providing rewards or incentives that are not allowed under a code of conduct, particularly where this singles out some children or young people to the detriment of others
- being under the influence of drugs or alcohol in the workplace
- inappropriate use of work IT equipment at work or home
- failure to protect a child or report a safeguarding concern
- involvement with Children’s Services in relation to the adult’s own children, such as care proceedings or child protection plans
- domestic abuse
- matters arising in the adult’s private life
Private life concerns can include:
- arrest or prosecution for a criminal offence outside work
- personal involvement with Children’s Services, such as having children in care or on child protection plans
Guidance for specific situations
Child-on-child abuse
Report concerns about abuse and sexually harmful behaviour between children to:
- the allocated social worker, if the child has one
- SPoA if appropriate
If a member of staff failed to report a concern to their safeguarding lead, or reported it late, you should also make a LADO referral.
Schools should follow the Department for Education’s Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
Mental health and self-harm
If there is a risk of significant harm to a young person, contact:
- the allocated worker, if there is one
- SPoA
You can also make a referral to CAMHS through the Children's Portal
If the concern is about a member of staff’s conduct or suitability to work with children, make a referral to the LADO
Further advice is available from:
Criminal exploitation
Report specific concerns about a young person to
- the allocated worker if there is one
- SPOA or the allocated social worker
See Keeping Children Safe in Education for further guidance.
Accidents and injuries involving children in settings
Report serious injuries where there are concerns about:
- the explanation of the injury or potential injury
- medication errors where there was a potential risk of significant harm
Report these concerns to the relevant organisation, such as SPoA, Ofsted or the Care Quality Commission.
If you are concerned about staff neglect or conduct, make a LADO referral.
Early Years Setting should follow Ofsted guidance on how to report a serious childcare incident.
Decisions made by social work teams
Contact the practice manager of the social work team involved if your concern is about:
- a referral not being actioned
- delays in decision-making
- a case being closed
Disputes regarding contact arrangements
Sometimes a parent may you about a dispute linked to contact with, or the living arrangements of a child. Explain that you cannot make decisions about unresolved issues.
Managing allegations
When an allegation or concern is raised about someone who works or volunteers with children, refer to the managing allegations guidance.
There are two main pathways. You can view these pathways as a flowchart, or presented as a textual description.
- Pathway 1, SPoA: a clear disclosure of harm, such as physical or sexual abuse
- Pathway 2, LADO: a concern about conduct or behaviour
Managing allegations flowchart
An accessible text description of the flowchart is provided below.
Text description of the flowchart
Pathway 1: a clear disclosure of harm
This pathway applies where there is a clear disclosure of harm, such as physical or sexual abuse.
- Contact the Single Point of Access (SPoA). If it's out of hours, contact the Emergency Duty Service on or 01273 335 905.
- SPoA checks the concern and decides how serious it is. If it's very serious (level 3 or 4), they will pass it to the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH). For levels 1 and 2, see Organisations that help families.
- The MASH Practice Manager checks the referral with the police. They decide whether need to: hold a Strategy Meeting, close to Children’s Social Care or
refer to the LADO. - In a Strategy meeting may decide to refer for a Children’s Social Care assessment; start a police investigation; take no further action through Children’s Social Care; or ask LADO to oversee the employer’s internal investigation.
- A Children’s Social Care assessment could result in a transfer to a long-term Children’s Social Care team, or no further action by Children’s Social Care.
- A Police investigation could result in a prosecution, or no further action. The LADO should be be kept updated about the outcome of the police investigation.
- If the police take no further action, LADO will advise the employer about the next steps. This may include an internal investigation, with HR advice and a risk management plan. The investigation may result in no further action, or a disciplinary process. The employer should update LADO about the outcome.
- A disciplinary meeting may result in dismissal, resignation, training or guidance, or no further action. In cases of dismissal or resignation, consideration must be given to whether the threshold for a DBS referral has been met.
Pathway 2: a concern about conduct or behaviour
This pathway applies where there is a general concern about an adult’s conduct or behaviour.
- Make a LADO referral
- LADO will advise on the next steps, including whether an internal investigation is needed
Next steps may include:
- referring to SPoA if new safeguarding concerns are identified
- carrying out an internal investigation with HR advice
- putting a risk management plan in place while the investigation continues
- taking no further action
- starting a disciplinary process.
The employer should update LADO about the outcome of their investigation.
An internal investigation may lead to a disciplinary process. Possible outcomes are listed under pathway 1, step 8.
LADO guidance leaflets
These downloadable leaflets explain the LADO process, what happens next and what different people can expect.
Videos and webinars
LADO webinar: Understanding low-level concerns
- Understanding low-level concerns
Lado webinar: Investigation outcomes and further referrals
- Investigation outcomes and further referrals
LADO webinar: Parents: understanding the LADO role
- Parent webinar
Lado webinar: The role of the LADO and how to refer
- The role of the LADO and how to refer