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  5. Local Authority Designated Officer

Local Authority Designated Officer

Role of the Local Authority Designated Officer

The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is responsible for the oversight and management of allegations made against professionals in the children’s workforce, to include paid employees and volunteers. Consequently they should be informed of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention. 

The LADO will provide advice, guidance and help to determine whether a concern or allegation sits within the scope of safeguarding procedures. They have responsibility for ensuring the workforce is safe by managing allegations of abuse or misconduct of professionals working with children, offering advice and making referrals to the relevant bodies as appropriate. 

The LADO is responsible for raising awareness and understanding of safe working practises and safer recruitment, share learning based on experiences, to ensure that practise and services are constantly improved, help establish and aid an understanding of baseline from which we can measure the impact of services on children or young people. The LADO is also responsible for identifying gaps in service and service standards and reporting these to the Local Safeguarding Children Board.

Contact

The LADO for North Tyneside Council is:

Hayley Muir
Quadrant
Silverlink North 
Cobalt Business Park
North Tyneside
NE27 OBY

Telephone: 0345 2000 109

Report concerns

Should you have concerns about an individual who has a job working with children or volunteers with children in the North Tyneside area, then it is important that this is reported to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) in order to ensure that the correct process can be followed to safeguard children;

In accordance with Working Together (2018), where an organisation has received an allegation that a volunteer or member of staff who works 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; or
  • behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates they may pose a risk of harm to children

To raise a concern:

  • complete the form below, giving as much detail as possible or
  • contact 0345 2000 109 within office hours in order to gain advice

Where there is an immediate threat to a child please contact the Police on 999 OR 101 or the contact the Emergency Duty Team (if outside office hours) on  0330 333 7475.

Please note: a separate form must be completed for each incident. If the incident concerns more than one child, each child must be named on the same form. If the allegation is made against more than one person, then each person should be named.

Privacy statement

The role of the LADO is to coordinate all allegations where concerns have made against a person who works with children within North Tyneside. As such, all allegations and concerns must be reported to the LADO (see below). If you are a member of the public, your details will be disclosed, however you can request that your identity can remain anonymous, but the information shared will need to be explored with the person who you are worried about and their employer/voluntary group.

The LADO will maintain a database of all allegations and concerns received and will provide reports to the LSCB at least annually or on request.

The LADO will consider the information in the referral, in order to advise, in discussion with the Designated Safeguarding Lead within the Organisation, on what action should be taken by the employer and whether the matter should be referred to Children's Social Care and/or the Police in order to safeguard a child.

Your details (optional)
First name
Surname
Tell us about the person against whom the allegation has been made
First name
Surname
Tell us about these children

Please give us their names and dates of birth if known.

Tell us about these children/vulnerable adults

Please give us their names, dates of birth and location if known.

Previous allegations
First name
Surname
Information about the allegation or concern
:

Information about any child(ren) identified, including (if known):

  • name
  • gender
  • date of birth
  • address
  • ethnicity
  • name of parent/carer
  • special circumstances, for example, disabilities, CP, LAC
First name
Surname