If the allegation meets threshold for LADO oversight, the LADO will keep the matter open until resolution – under an allegations management process. The complexity of the allegation and the number of people and agencies involved will determine whether there will be a meeting (allegation management meeting) to share information and agree a plan or if a plan to investigate the allegation can be agreed during discussions with relevant parties without a meeting.

An allegation management meeting will usually be held if there is more than one agency involved, a criminal offence may have been committed or the police are already involved in investigating. There may be only one meeting or there may be a series of meetings held until a conclusion is reached.

The LADO will keep a matter open and regularly review the progress until such time that a LADO outcome is agreed and any necessary safeguarding actions are taken, for example referrals to regulatory bodies have been made.

The outcome will be determined by the investigations that are carried out by the police, employer or childrens social care. The outcome will be confirmed between the LADO and the agency who carried out the investigation or by professionals at an allegations management meeting.

The outcome will be based on the balance of probabilities that a child has been harmed or the allegation occurred, or a person poses a future risk to children. It is not necessary for there to have been conviction of a crime for the allegation to be substantiated and employers investigation or the allegation management process may conclude with a substantiated outcome regardless of any criminal conviction

The five possible outcomes are:

• Substantiated: where there is sufficient identifiable evidence to prove the allegation.
• False: where there is sufficient evidence to disprove the allegation.
• Malicious: where there is clear evidence to prove there has been a deliberate act to deceive and the allegation is entirely false.
• Unfounded: where there is no evidence or proper basis which supports the allegation being made. It might also indicate that the person making the allegation misinterpreted the incident or was mistaken about what they saw. Alternatively, they may not have been aware of all the circumstances.
• Unsubstantiated: this is not the same as a false allegation. It means that there is insufficient evidence to prove or disprove the allegation; the term, therefore, does not imply guilt or innocence.

Further recommendations may be made in respect of disciplinary measures or support measures, such as training and supervision in the workplace.
The employer should inform the subject of the outcome. In the absence of an employer the LADO will identify who should inform the individual of the outcome and agreed actions.

Where there are lessons to be learnt from an allegations management process, these will be identified in an investigation report, in the allegations management meeting or by the LADO and the employer should record and action these.

Professionals involved in this process should maintain confidentiality. Information sharing should be restricted to those who have a need to know, in order to protect children, to facilitate enquiries, to manage related disciplinary processes, or to determine whether an individual is suitable to work with children.

Substantiated allegations

If the allegation is substantiated and you are considered to be a risk to children or have harmed a child, your employer has a legal duty to refer the matter to Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) or other professional regulatory bodies.

If there is no one to make the referral to the DBS the LADO will do this.

The DBS has the power to decide whether you should be barred from, or have conditions imposed in respect of working with children.

More information is set out on the DBS website. The duty to refer to the DBS remains even if you resign from your post or position as a volunteer.

Checklist for professionals attending a managing allegations meeting

A professional invited to provide information, in respect of the subject of the allegation or the alleged victim, will form part of the professional group.

It is important that all participants are able to contribute fully. This checklist is designed to help professionals prepare for a allegations management meeting.

Ask yourself:

• Am I able to represent my agency or organisation in this matter?
• If not, who should attend with you, in your place?
• Have I familiarised myself with the relevant information held by my agency or organisation?
• Do I feel there may be a conflict of interest in attending this meeting? If so, who should you inform and who attend in your place?
• Have I taken all the action that I need to, prior to the meeting?

Please bring the following, if available to you:

• Confirmed name, address and date/s of birth of alleged victim/s.
• Confirmed name, address and date/s of birth of alleged subject/s.
• Chronology of events.
• Record/notes of any interview undertaken.
• Record/notes of any assessments undertaken.

If you have any queries about the meeting and what is required from you and your organisation, please contact the LADO, by replying to the electronic meeting invitation, to seek advice.