Everyone who works with children and young people should know who they should go to in their organisation or setting with concerns about the behaviour of, or an allegation against, a colleague or any other adult who works with children. This will be the Designated Senior Manager (or supervisor or leader) within the organisation. A deputy designated manager should also be identified, in case of the unavailability of, or an allegation being made against, the Designated Senior Manager.
If you have a concern that a person may have behaved inappropriately or you have received information that may constitute an allegation you should:
- report it to the Designated Senior Manager as soon as possible, however trivial it may seem;
- make a signed and dated written record of your concerns, observations or the information you have received to pass on to the Designated Senior Manager;
- maintain confidentiality and guard against publicity while an allegation is being considered or investigated and follow local information sharing protocols
You should not:
- attempt to deal with the situation yourself;
- make assumptions, offer alternative explanations or diminish the seriousness of the behaviour or alleged incidents;
- keep the information to yourself or promise confidentiality;
- take any action that might undermine any future investigation or disciplinary procedure, such as interviewing the alleged victim or potential witnesses, or informing the alleged perpetrator or parents or carers.
The same action should be taken if the allegation is about abuse that has taken place in the past, as it will be important to find out if the person is still working with or has access to children
N.B If a child has clearly been injured and/or there is clear evidence of significant harm or risk of significant harm, immediate referral to the police or social care or emergency services must be considered, in accordance with child protection procedures, and your Designated Senior Manager informed as soon as possible afterwards. Remember that the safety and welfare of the child is your overriding concern.
If a member of the public has a concern or allegation about a person known or suspected to be working with children, or who has worked with children, the advice above should be followed, but it will be more appropriate to report direct to the LADO, police or social care, as the designated senior manager or employer may not be known.
