Managing staff allegations
LADO Education Safeguarding Advisory Services (LESAS)
The County Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) service and Education Safeguarding Service merged in September 2024 following an evaluation of the two services. This decision aligns both services with the national 'Working Together to Safeguard Children' agenda and will result in increased capacity to provide LADO and education safeguarding support to Kent education settings and the wider children's workforce.
What LESAS do
LESAS's role is to continue and build upon the statutory LADO function for the whole of the children's workforce and support education settings (early years settings, childminders, schools and colleges) in Kent who work with children aged 0 to 18 to meet their safeguarding responsibilities and respond to safeguarding concerns.
The team is made up of experienced social work and education professionals who have a thorough understanding of key local and national legislation and statutory guidance related to safeguarding and education safeguarding practice.
What LESAS provide
LESAS provide a variety of different types of support to education settings in Kent, this includes:
- Undertaking the LADO statutory function; primarily this involves managing the process when an allegation is made against a member of the children's workforce, not just education specific, in Kent.
- Advice for education settings on how they can meet their safeguarding responsibilities, including online safety specific advice, through an enquiries service. This does not include queries relating to individual children; in these cases, a Request for Support should be submitted to the Front Door Service.
- Up-to-date exemplar Child Protection Policy and Acceptable Use Policy for education providers to adapt.
- Support for education settings in times of crisis and unexpected critical incidents, for example following the unexpected death of a child who attends the setting.
- A termly newsletter for Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) in education settings.
- Termly Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL) 'catch up' meetings to share local information and guidance.
- Targeted outreach work and subsidised support for education settings following critical safeguarding needs.
The service can also be commissioned to provide a range of high-quality training and other safeguarding support products for DSLs and staff within the children's workforce, including safeguarding reviews which promote best practice and empower education settings to ensure their learners are as safe as they can be.
Contacting LESAS
If your concern relates to the welfare of a child - please contact the Front Door Service through the Kent Integrated Children's Services Portal
If you need to make a referral to the LADO regarding an allegation against a member of staff - please complete a LADO referral through the Kent Integrated Children's Services Portal
If you need clarification on whether to make a LADO referral, need general education safeguarding or online safety advice, or would like to enquiry about training or other safeguarding products - please use the LESAS enquiry form
Please view the LESAS access to support flowchart (PDF, 122.9 KB).
Important information about making a referral for an individual through the portal
Once you have completed and submitted the referral you will receive a notification stating that it has been received by the LESAS. If you do not receive this notification, it will mean that you have not sent the referral correctly.
Please note that key demographics are important and are a requirement. It is not appropriate to submit a referral form with incorrect details such as a false date of birth. There are three significant reasons why the LESAS requests that you ensure you have completed the form correctly:
- Safeguarding and risk management – if details are incorrect or missing, the LADO Education Advisor is unable to check if the member of staff has previously been known to the service. Equally, when sharing details with partner agencies such as the Police, incorrect details will lead to missing key data and potential known risk factors.
- It is also not proportionate for the LESAS to contact an employer for details of a member of staff. The LESAS has no direct link and may not progress any subsequent referral against the harm threshold. As the referrer you will be far more likely to have a role with the employer under safeguarding duties and or a link e.g. through a child you work with.
- Incorrect or false information leads to false records being created and a vulnerability that a member of staff that may pose a safeguarding risk is overlooked.
As a result, if we now receive a referral through the portal with key information missing, we shall have to return it to the referrer, through the portal, requesting that the missing data be added. LESAS gives three working days for these to be returned with the details required, however if on the third day a response has not been received the referral will be rejected. This will mean that the referrer will be required and accountable for resubmitting it as soon as possible with the full and correct details.
View the LADO portal guide (PDF, 840.2 KB) which details how external professionals can submit a referral
Please find the referral form for parents and carers (DOCX, 67.6 KB) - this can be e-mailed to lesasenquiries@kent.gov.uk.
Contact details
Please use the LESAS enquiry form for all enquiries.
If a call is urgent i.e. a child is in immediate danger and requires safeguarding, call 03000 41 11 11.
If a call is urgent and outside of office hours, call 03000 41 91 91.
Feedback form
The LESAS feedback form (DOCX, 68.1 KB) is for practitioners and parent or carers who use the service and wish to provide feedback.
Risk assessments
The Kent LADO risk assessment (DOCX, 20.5 KB) is to be used when considering transference of risk into the workplace; when the allegation has met the fourth harm thresholds around suitability; and if a members of staff is believed to present an imminent risk.
The disqualification or risk by association risk assessment (DOCX, 85.6 KB) is to be used if you have concerns regarding a member of staff who has been disqualified from their role or are associated with an individual who has been disqualified.
Privacy notice and retention policy
The CLS privacy notice and retention policy (DOC, 111.0 KB) explains what personal data (information) the County LADO Service holds about you, how they collect, how they use and may share information about you. They are required to give you this information under data protection law.
Local and national guidance
The KCC managing allegations against staff practice guidance (PDF, 657.9 KB) should be used in respect of all cases in connection with the person who works with children in either a paid or unpaid (volunteer) capacity where it is alleged that a person 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 he or she may pose a risk of harm to children
- behaved in a way that indicates they may not be suitable to with children (includes transfer of risk, risk by association).
LESAS have produced guidance to help professionals complete investigation reports (PDF, 164.1 KB).
The escalation guidance (DOCX, 54.5 KB) helps clarify the process of raising concerns that have arisen through practice issues and decisions linked to allegation management. It clarifies boundaries and channels of decision-making around escalating concerns with the children's workforce to resolve matters quickly and where appropriate reflect on lessons learnt. The guidance should be read in conjunction with the KSCMP escalation and professional challenge procedure (PDF, 213.0 KB).
The Safer Recruitment Consortium have produced these procedures for safer working practice for those working with children and young people (PDF, 507.0 KB) which are intended for education settings only. Each section provides general guidance about a particular aspect of work, and specific guidance about which behaviours should be avoided and which are recommended.
Leaflets
The LESAS have produced a number of leaflets providing information about the service and how allegations are managed.
- Managing allegations of abuse against staff and volunteers leaflet (DOCX, 122.1 KB)
- Position of trust meetings leaflet (DOCX, 118.6 KB)
- Allegations against those who work or volunteer with children leaflet (DOCX, 126.4 KB)
- Do's and don'ts leaflet (DOCX, 121.1 KB)
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View short video explaining the county LADO service.