Any adult working or volunteering with children may be subject to an allegation that they have harmed a child. This could occur within a professional setting or in a professional’s private life.
When an allegation is made about an individual it must be reported to the LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer) within 24 hours. The LADO will then agree when to inform the accused professional of the allegation, depending on the nature and complexity of the allegation. If it becomes clear at this early stage that an allegation is false then the accused will be informed and no further action taken.
If there is cause to believe that a child has been harmed then a meeting will be held between the LADO, the police, the employer of the accused professional, Ealing Children’s Services and any other agencies deemed relevant to the allegation. At this meeting it will be decided who needs to take the allegation to the next stage.
An accused professional may be suspended from work or moved to other duties for the duration of the investigation. This will be decided by their line manager based on the nature of the allegations. Before a professional can be suspended they must have a meeting with their manager to make representations concerning their suspension. A trade union representative or friend may be present at this meeting.
In some cases the police may proceed with an allegation and the accused may be arrested and interviewed under caution. A professional under criminal investigation should seek legal representation from their trade union, the police or a solicitor of their choosing.
An employer may need to conduct an internal investigation into an allegation; this could be conducted by a senior member of staff or an independent body depending on the availability of resources and the severity of an allegation. If there are criminal investigations going on it may not be possible for the employer to complete their internal investigation until the criminal proceedings are over. An employer should try to reach a conclusion on their internal investigation regardless of whether or not the accused professional has resigned.
Confidentiality should be respected and people should only be notified of an allegation on a ‘need to know’ basis.
A comprehensive summary of any allegation will be kept on the accused’s confidential personnel file until retirement age or 10 years after the allegation; this includes allegations found to be without substance. Should an allegation be found to be true, then the accused may be dismissed from their job and be barred from working with children by DBS.