In all cases of allegations or serious concerns about staff or volunteers being referred direct to the police or social care teams, the LADO should be informed within 1 working day by the police force’s designated officer or relevant social care team manager. This includes all those cases that are reported but do not meet the thresholds for a social care or police investigation. The LADO should either be involved in or kept informed of all stages of any police or social care investigation being conducted under these procedures.
Police forces should identify a designated officer within their Child Protection Unit/ Child Abuse Investigation Team to:
- liaise with the LADO
- take part in strategy discussions
- review the progress of cases in which there is a police investigation
- share information, as appropriate, on completion of the investigation or any prosecution.
