Safeguarding children – Southampton LADO

Allegations against people in a position of trust

Children should be safe from harm in the community as well as in their homes. Adults who work or volunteer with children in the community are in a position of trust.

When to follow the allegations procedure

If an adult who is in a position of trust 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

Then then the managing allegation procedure must be followed and reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) service within 24 hours.

Role of the LADO

The LADO will follow the Managing Allegation Process to ensure that the allegation is investigated thoroughly. The LADO will inform the police and/or children’s social care if required.

If you are unsure about whether the concern you have reaches the threshold for LADO involvement then please contact the service for advice. You can do this using the LADO notification form. If you have other concerns about a person in position of trust then you should follow the complaints process of the organisation where that adult works.

The Southampton LADO covers the area within the Southampton City Council Boundary.

Report an allegation

The LADO service should be notified of concerns without delay. In the first instance we request that you complete the LADO notification form, however if this is not possible then please contact the service via telephone or e-mail.

• Phone: 023 8091 5535/ 07500 952 037
• E-mail: lado@southampton.gov.uk

Document	Type	Size
LADO Notification Form 2024	doc	146 KB
Outcome Of Internal Investigation Form	docx	87.7 KB
Suitability Assessment Template 2021	doc	70 KB
LADO 4th Criteria (Suitability) Flowchart 2022	pdf	176.6 KB