What is the LADO and what do they do?
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
What is the LADO and what do they do?
The role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is set out in the HM Government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018) and developed in subsequent editions.
Chapter 2, Organisational Responsibilities, lays out the procedures for managing allegations against people who work with children within the city boundaries, for example, those in a position of trust, including volunteers. These procedures are overseen and managed by the LADO.
The LADO will:
- manage and have oversight of individual cases
- Provide advice and guidance to employers and voluntary organisations
- Liaise with the Police and other agencies
- Record referrals appropriately
- Monitor the progress of cases to ensure they are progressed in a timely way with a fair and consistent process
- Chair multi-agency allegation management meetings, when they are required
The role gives all agencies a central point of contact for them to discuss and make notifications falling within the Local Authority Designated Officer threshold criteria.
Criteria
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 or children
- possibly committed a criminal offense against children, 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 be unsuitable to work with children
The LADO should also be informed within one (1) working day of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police.
The LADO is involved from the initial phase of the allegation through to the conclusion of the case. They will provide advice, guidance, and help to determine whether the allegation sits within the scope of the procedures.
The LADO helps coordinate information-sharing with the right people and will also monitor and track any investigation, with the aim of resolving it as quickly as possible.
The two people who oversee and manage allegations in Liverpool are:
Catherine Ballans, LADO & Risk Manager: Tel: 0771 670 2034
Pauline Trubshaw, LADO: Tel: 0784 172 7309
All referrals should be sent by email to the LADO at lado@liverpool.gov.uk
Use the link to access the form to make a referral to LADO: LADO Referral Form
Further detailed information about the LADO: LADO Process in detail