Safeguarding - Allegations Against Staff & Volunteers privacy notice

Barnet Council employs a Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) who has a statutory responsibility for the management and oversight of cases where there are safeguarding concerns/allegations made against people who work, volunteer, or are in a position of trust with children in any setting across Barnet.

All organisations which have employees or volunteers working with children should have clear and accessible policies and procedures, consistent with the London Child Protection Procedures, which explain what should happen when allegations about the behaviour of a member of staff or volunteer are raised. The council’s LADO accepts referrals from social care professionals, teachers and all employers, who have a responsibility to report concerns and allegations to the council. The council’s LADO also accepts referrals from members of the public and whistle-blowers.

The LADO gathers and shares information from and with relevant agencies as listed below, in the process of evaluating the information, to decide whether it meets the threshold for a criminal, child protection or disciplinary investigation, or if it should be dealt with by the individual’s employer as a concern or complaint. The main agencies are the police, council social care, education and Ofsted. Dependent on the circumstances we also request or share information with the wider list of agencies below.

The LADO provides advice and guidance to employers in relation to making referrals to the Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS), Ofsted, the General Medical Council (GMC), or Care Quality Commission (CQC), where they think that an individual has engaged in conduct that harmed (or is likely to harm) a child; or if a person otherwise poses a risk of harm to a child; or there is an allegation investigation and the outcome is substantiated either by criminal investigation or by the balance of probabilities.

The LADO advises schools on the records retention periods as outlined in Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018, and other agencies to follow their data retention policy.

Personal information collected

  • Name
  • Address and contact details
  • Date of Birth
  • Equalities information
  • Employment
  • Support Network
  • Information from the local authority from where you live and previously lived
  • Other agencies Involved
  • Education Information
  • Health Information 
  • Criminal/Prosecution Information
  • Housing Information 
  • Family/Relationship Information
  • Immigration status

Who we share the information with

  • Police
  • Council social care teams for children and adults and education teams
  • UK Border Agency
  • Department for Education
  • Health Agencies (like the NHS, GPs)
  • Probation/Prison Services
  • Council Education Service
  • Housing Providers (like Barnet Homes)
  • Third sector/Voluntary Agencies
  • Other Local Authorities
  • Ofsted
  • Judicial Agencies eg Courts
  • Drug & alcohol services
  • Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS)

Legislation that applies

  • Children Act 1989
  • Children Act 2004 Section 11
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
  • London Child Protection Procedures 2018 – Sec 7
  • Keeping Children Safe in Education 2018 – Sec 4

How long we keep your information

40 years