The Children’s Commissioner has called for the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) role to be fully independent of local councils, as part of broader reforms to safeguard vulnerable children.
A recent blog by Dame Rachel de Souza highlights troubling cases in schools and residential settings—where restraint, allegations of misconduct, or lack of responsiveness have caused harm—and raises concerns that current LADO arrangements lack consistency, accountability and effective coordination.
She sets out a number of proposals for improving safety and accountability for vulnerable children including removing the LADO function from direct local authority control.
The commissioner also recommends introducing statutory guidance to standardise thresholds for referrals and streamline oversight across agencies and establishing a national approach to data sharing among the DBS, Ofsted, LADOs and the police to avoid information gaps.
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