Job title:Local Area Designated Officer / Directorate: People
Post number: / Division: Children’s Services
Grade:9 / Section/team: Independent Reviewing
Overall purpose of job:
To deliver the statutory functions of the Designated Officer (hereafter ‘LADO’) including the management and oversight of allegations against people that work with children in connection with their employment or voluntary activity, where it is alleged that they (a) have behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child (b) possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child, or (c) behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children.
To provide advice, guidance, support and challenge around the responsibilities of employers, voluntary agencies and organisations regarding an employee or volunteer who faces such an allegation.
Post holders will be expected to be flexible in undertaking the duties and responsibilities attached to their post and may be asked to perform other duties, which reasonably correspond to the general character of the post and are commensurate with its level of responsibility.
Main responsibilities:
  1. Responsible for ensuring that safeguarding allegations against staff and volunteers who work with children in connection with their employment or voluntary activity are managed effectively by employers, voluntary agencies and organisations, escalating any concerns about such management as appropriate.
  1. Responsible for consultation and/or attendance where Children’s Social Care convene a Strategy Discussion upon reasonable cause to suspect that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm and the alleged perpetrator works with children in the course of their employment or works with children as a voluntary activity.
  1. Responsible for prompt referral to the Police any information coming to the attention of the LADO where a criminal offence may have occurred or the immediate removal of a member of staff is required and/or evidence needs securing, including forensic medical assessment.
  1. Responsible for prompt referral to Children’s Social Care any information coming to the attention of the LADO where a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm.
  1. Responsible for evaluating at the conclusion of the Strategy Discussion convened by Children’s Social Care or where a police investigation may assist, evaluate with the police, the employer, and any other relevant agencies the allegation and decide how it should be dealt with.
  1. Responsible for consulting with an employer or voluntary organisation where there is no clear referral pathway for action by Police or Children’s Social Care to review the information about the allegation and decide how best to proceed.
  1. Responsible for ensuring that at the conclusion of enquiries into the allegation, relevant information is shared, the conclusion formally categorised and any further action to be taken in light of this agreed.
  1. Responsible for reminding an employer or voluntary organisation whether they are under a statutory duty to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/or any Professional Regulatory Body as required. In lieu of an employer or voluntary agency so doing, to make the referral.
  1. Responsible for ensuring that allegations are managed within locally and prescribed timescales and procedures and in line with a fair and thorough process.
  1. Responsible for maintaining accurate, timely and secure case recording onto the case management system for allegations referred to the LADO. Ensure such recording is of a high standard, in compliance with the agreed recording processes on the Case Management System and in compliance with Corporate Information Governance best practice and procedures.

Knowledge, skill and experience:
  1. Must have a relevant professional qualification in Social Work: CQSW, DipSW or equivalent and be HCPC (Health and Care Professionals Council) registered.
  2. Must be DBS checked (at point of appointment) and the post holder must ensure that they submit a renewal every 3 years thereafter whilst in post.
  3. Three years post qualification experience of working in statutory Children’s Services Social Work
  4. An ability to prepare for and make effective use of formal supervision and informal supervision and case discussion with peers and the Lead Reviewing Officer
  5. An understanding of the principles of confidentiality, recognising when and with whom it may be right to share relevant information
  6. An understanding of equal opportunities issues and a strong commitment to delivering anti-discriminatory, non-oppressive services.
  7. A good knowledge of legislative framework underpinning the Local Authority Designated Officer role, statutory Social Work and employment
  8. Experience of and an ability to challenge, enthuse, motivate, enable and influence cross agency practice by those involved in the management of individual allegations, using where appropriate a solution focussed approach
  9. An ability to analyse information, balance risks and summarise the salient issues with concision and brevity
  10. The ability to Chair meetings to a high standard, including the management and resolution of conflict and the production of action plans which are proportionate to and reflect often competing needs, and are set out as SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-limited)
  11. High standards of written and oral communication
  12. Must be self-directed and take personal responsibility for effective time management and the demands of the workload.
  13. Must be able to work under pressure, maintaining a flexible approach, with clear decision-making and conflict management.
  14. Good advocacy skills
  15. Positive attitude towards career development and opportunities and continuing professional development
  16. Must have a clear commitment to the development and delivery of an effective LADO Service
  17. Must have good IT skills and be able to use the Case Management System on which the information about allegations is held and electronic diary functions

Creativity and innovation:
  1. A high level of creativity and innovation is required by the post holder to effectively deliver the Local Authority Designated Officer role
  2. The post holder will, on occasion, need to successfully manage meetings which are sensitive, emotional, challenging and/or threatening in which passivity, resistance, conflict and anger can be generated
  3. The post holder will require creativity and innovation to discern when and how to appropriately escalate any concerns as appropriate to secure prompt resolution of disputes about planned actions resulting from an evaluation of an allegation
  4. The post holder will need to exercise their professional judgement informed by a thorough knowledge of statutory guidance, local guidance, employee’s and human rights legislation and national and local best practice
  5. The post holder will, on occasions, be required to respond to emergency safeguarding situations, analysing information quickly and accurately and making recommendations regarding appropriate courses of action as necessary.
  6. The post holder will be required to develop the role in light of new legislation and national best practice, develop policies, procedures and appropriate service improvement measures on an iterative basis.

Contacts and Relationships:
The post operates within a multi-agency context and the post holder will have contact with colleagues from a range of service areas. This is a highly sensitive area of work and demands considerable skills.
Daily:
  1. They will have direct contact with colleagues within North Lincolnshire council, including senior managers.
  2. They will have direct contact with senior managers in a range of multi-agency partners from the public, private and third sector.
  3. Allegations meetings will routinely involve a range of representatives from a wide range of agencies, including but not limited to Police, Children’s Social Care, Education, care providers, health, voluntary service providers, sports and faith groups. This will involve contact with professionals at all levels and on a regular basis
  4. It is the responsibility of the LADO to manage allegations against all professionals working with children across North Lincolnshire.
Frequent:
  1. The post holder will have frequent contact with the Lead Reviewing Officer who will be the line manager for this post.
  2. The post holder will have frequent contact with national external regulatory bodies e.g OFSTED
Less Frequent:
  1. The post holder will have contact with a range of Managers when there is a need toescalate concerns as appropriate to secure the timely resolution of disputes about any action resulting from an evaluation. The Post Holder will seek resolution at the lowest level of management but if this is not forthcoming, escalate to more senior managers and/or regulatory bodies as appropriate.
  2. The post holder will be part of the Regional LADO Group and may attend as representative of North Lincolnshire Council

Decision making:
  1. Working autonomously, the post holder is required to plan and prioritise their workload in awareness of statutory and local required timescales and performance indicators
  2. Subject to the requirements of employee’s and human rights legislation, statutory and locally determined guidance, the post holder has wide-ranging discretion in how they are involved in the management and oversight of allegations against people that work with children in connection with their employment or voluntary activity
  3. The post holder has wide-ranging discretion in the planning and undertaking of consultations and meetings. This includes, deciding when it is appropriate to exclude individuals from meetings where they feel that their presence is not in the best interest of an informed evaluation or where they present a risk to other participants or the ongoing investigation of allegations
  4. The post holder must be professionally credible and confident when exercising their professional judgement. Their analysis of an allegation and facilitation of meetings will be critical in progressing effective and fair management of allegations.
  5. The post holder will make multiple professional judgements on a daily basis about allegations against staff and volunteers. In doing so, they will balance risk and protective factors, the rights of an employee and the paramount need to safeguard children and young people from harm. The post holder’s judgements will impact directly on the safety and welfare of children and young people.
  6. The post holder will need to exercise professional judgment as to when, how and to whom there is a need toescalate concerns as appropriate to secure the timely resolution of disputes about any issue of management of an allegation.

Responsibility for resources:
Responsible for personal communication equipment (laptop, mobile phone) to the value of £450
WORK ENVIRONMENT
  1. The nature of this work (safeguarding allegations against professionals who work with children) is very demanding as it involves working with a wide range of agencies and professionals in very challenging circumstances. These allegations can be in respect of professionals at every level.
  2. Post holder is required to plan and prioritise their workload to ensure compliance with statutory and local required timescales and performance indicators.
  3. Referrals of new LADO casesare outside of the post holders control and the role requires high levels of flexibility and the exercise of good judgment in prioritising and accommodating new, emergency and planned work to meet with statutory and local required timescales and performance indicators.
  4. The post holder must be emotionally resilient and professionally appropriate when dealing with issues which are sensitive, emotional, or challenging as well as occasional issues of threatening or abusive behaviours and be adept in management of passivity, resistance, conflict and anger can be generated by the LADO process

Physical demands:
The job involves the usual physical demands encountered in an office-based environment
Working conditions:
The post is primarily office-based, however the LADO will be expected to work with a high degree of autonomy and mobility meaning that the office may be one of a number or indeed home working
Work context:
The post is highly demanding, with an expectation of flexibility in the hours worked by the post holder and an assumption that work will have a high degree of priority for the post holder, often beyond the normal working week. .

Position in organisation:
Indicate how many staff the post is directly accountable for:
Are posts in more than one location?
Is this at the same site? Are the posts managed highly mobile?
Posts all have same contractual base but all are highly mobile.
Is the supervision/management shared with another post in the structure? Yes  No 





The post is subject to:
Disclosure of convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders (Exemption) Act 1974 Yes □
Political restriction No□
Employee:
(signed) / (print) / Date:
Manager: (signed) / (print) / Date:

Policy and Resources Cabinet Member – 19th September 2012, Implemented – 8th October 2012 Page 1 of 8