6. Concerns about adults who work with children

The vast majority of adults working with children do so because they want to support and nurture their development. However, some people enter this area of work to gain close contact with children or because of misplaced feeling that the work will be easy. There may be times when adults are concerned about the behaviour of their colleagues, for example in relation to the way they are managing children's behaviour.

It can be difficult to express concerns about a colleague and it is not unreasonable to be worried about the possible consequences of expressing a concern. It is therefore very important that all settings ensure they have a culture in which everyone feels safe about sharing concerns, knows that they will be taken seriously and treated sensitively and confidentially.

Every setting must make it clear to everyone involved - including parents/carers and children where appropriate - that it is important to express concerns about the behaviour of adults, whether paid or unpaid, that might have a negative impact on a child. The child's needs must remain paramount.

Whistleblowing is the term used to describe the disclosure of information about suspected wrongdoing or dangers identified at work.

Whistleblowing is a mechanism where staff or volunteers can voice their concerns, without fear of repercussion in circumstances where their concerns have not been dealt with or they do not feel able to follow usual reporting lines for some reason.

Settings must ensure they have a clear policy on whistleblowing and that everyone is clear about what to do and who to speak to if they have concerns about an adult in the setting.

Things to include in a whistleblowing policy:

•  What the policy aims to achieve (for example - ensuring the needs of children are paramount, creating a culture where it is safe to share concerns, having a clear process understood by all staff)
• The name of the identified manager who concerns should be discussed with
• Confidentiality - for those raising concerns and those who are the subject of concerns
• Who to whistleblow to if there is a concern is about the designated person e.g. manager/chairperson/SLP
• The different steps in the whistleblowing procedure with clear timeframes
• How to whistleblow to a relevant prescribed body e.g. Ofsted / NSPCC
• Referral form - How to Raise a Concern | Norfolk Safeguarding Children Partnership | PWWC (norfolklscp.org.uk)
• Self-reporting - Acknowledge that staff should talk to managers where they are concerned about their own health/personal problems that might be impacting on their work with children, or that their actions may have been misinterpreted
• Barriers to expressing concern - recognition of the worries of staff about reporting colleagues
• Reference made to the setting's disciplinary procedures when an allegation has been made against a staff member or volunteer
• Clear procedures for staff to report concerns to the identified manager including the procedure for when the concern is about the identified manager.
• Include the contact details for the Local Authority Designated Offer (LADO). Email LADO@norfolk.gov.uk

There is a guidance leaflet for the setting to give to anyone who is the subject of an allegation, this can be downloaded from NSCP website:

Allegations Against Persons who Work/Volunteer with Children Policy | NSCP (norfolklscp.org.uk)

The full policies and procedures are available on NSCP website, 8.3 Allegations Against Persons who Work/Volunteer with Children. This sets out all the steps in the LADO process:

Allegations Against Persons who Work/Volunteer with Children Policy | NSCP (norfolklscp.org.uk)