Safeguarding allegations against staff and volunteers working with children and young people: Guidance for organisations in Tower Hamlets
Guidance for organisations in Tower Hamlets that employ professionals or adults who either work with or volunteer with children and young people.
It covers the steps to take when managing safeguarding allegations against members of staff or volunteers.
Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of children is paramount, and it is essential to follow statutory procedures for dealing with such allegations promptly and effectively.
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You should
- Treat all allegations seriously and keep an open mind
- Report it to the Designated Senior Manager within your organisation as soon as possible, however trivial it may seem
- Confirm children are safeguarded
- Make a signed and dated written record of your concerns, observations or the information you have received; ensure that what happened is captured using the child/adult’s own words.
- Maintain confidentiality and guard against publicity while an allegation is being considered or investigated
- Follow local information sharing protocols
You should not
- Attempt to deal with the situation yourself
- Make assumptions, offer alternative explanations or diminish the seriousness of the concerns
- Keep the information to yourself or promise confidentiality
- Do anything that might undermine any future action, such as interviewing the alleged victim or witnesses, or informing the alleged perpetrator or parents or carers
- Do not tell the member of staff/volunteer if this might place the child at risk of significant harm or jeopardise any future investigation
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An allegation might involve a staff member or volunteer who has:
- Harmed a child or put a child at risk
- Committed a criminal offence against a child
- Inappropriate relationship with a child
- Behaved in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to work with children (this includes behaviours outside of work, often referred to as transferable risks).
Transferable risks from personal life
Sometimes, concerns arise about the personal life of a staff member or volunteer that may pose risks to children they work with. Examples include:
- Domestic abuse incidents
- Criminal behaviour not directly related to work with children
- Concerns about mental health or substance misuse.
A low-level safeguarding concern
This is any behaviour by an adult working with children that doesn’t meet the threshold for a formal allegation but still raises questions about their conduct. This might include actions like being overly familiar with a child, using inappropriate language, or not following professional boundaries.
The LADO is available for consultation on these matters as it is important that these concerns are acknowledged and addressed early to prevent escalation and ensure the safety and well-being of children, while also supporting the adult to improve their practice.
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Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
The LADO is responsible for managing and overseeing allegations made against staff or volunteers. The role is to ensure that allegations are dealt with in a fair, timely, and thorough manner. Contact LADO immediately for either a consultation or when allegation meets the threshold. The LADO will offer guidance on next steps and ensure the appropriate agencies are involved.
Police
If an allegation involves a criminal offence, the police must be contacted so that any criminal aspect of the allegation can be considered and investigated. The police will work with social care and the LADO to determine whether the staff member will be investigated for any criminal offence.
Children’s Social Care
If there are safeguarding concerns, Children’s Social Care should be involved to assess the child’s safety and wellbeing, provide support, and ensure a safeguarding plan is in place for the child if necessary.
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Immediate action
- Ensure the child is safe
Take immediate steps to protect the child. This might involve temporarily removing the staff member or volunteer from their duties.
- Contact the LADO
Report the allegation to the LADO within 24 hours of becoming aware of it.
Initial discussion with LADO
- The LADO will assess whether the allegation meets the threshold for further investigation and advise on the next steps
- The LADO may involve the police and/or Children’s Social Care at this stage.
Fact-finding/Investigation
- Fact-finding should be a neutral gathering of information to help decide the next steps. It is crucial that no formal disciplinary actions (e.g., interviews) are taken without guidance from the LADO, as this could interfere with any potential police investigation.
Risk assessment and safety planning
- A risk assessment should be carried out to evaluate the risk posed by the staff member or volunteer to children
- Safety planning may involve temporarily reassigning the staff member, additional supervision, or other protective measures while investigations are ongoing.
Outcomes:
After looking into the allegation, there are four possible outcomes:
- Substantiated
This means there is enough evidence to prove the allegation.
What happens next: the individual concerned may face disciplinary action, be referred to regulatory bodies (like the DBS), or even face criminal prosecution. Further training or supervision may be required if the person remains in their role.
- Unsubstantiated
This means there isn’t enough evidence to prove or disprove the allegation.
What happens next: no immediate action is taken, but the individual may remain under supervision. The allegation may still lead to discussions about improving safety practices or supervision.
- Unfounded
This means the allegation is shown to be false.
What happens next: no action is taken against the individual.
- Malicious
This means the allegation was made with the intent to cause harm and is entirely false.
What happens next: no action is taken against the individual concerned; however, action might be taken against the person who made the false allegation.
Timelines
- Initial reporting: Report to LADO within 24 hours
- Allegations management meetings (if necessary): Within five working days
- Resolution: Aim for resolution of the case within four weeks where possible.
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Support for the child
The child at the centre of the allegation must receive appropriate support, including access to counselling or other services if needed. Where appropriate Children’s Social Care will assess the child’s needs and provide assistance.
Support for the member of staff
It is important to ensure the staff member receives appropriate support throughout the investigation. This may include access to occupational health, or a staff support service. Remember that an allegation does not imply guilt.
Engaging with parents
Parents of the child should be informed about the allegation as soon as possible, unless advised otherwise by the LADO, police or Children’s Social Care. It is important to be transparent about the allegation management process and provide updates where appropriate, while respecting confidentiality.
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Maintain detailed records of:
- the nature of the allegation
- discussions with the LADO and other agencies
- actions taken and decisions made
- these records should be confidential. All documents relating to allegations against adults who work with children should be retained in a secure place and should only be shared with the express agreement of the LADO.
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LADO: Telephone 020 7364 0677 or by email LADO@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Children’s Social Care: MAST Telephone 020 7364 5006, Option 3
Local Police: Non-emergency telephone dial 111. Emergency telephone 999 By following these guidelines, your organisation will ensure a safe environment for children, support staff appropriately and meet your statutory obligations for safeguarding.
Complaints
To initiate a complaint related to the LADO service, please contact in the first instance by email SQA@towerhamlets.gov.uk