The LADO processes personal information in order to co-ordinate the response to concerns that an adult who works or volunteers with children may have caused them or could cause them harm. This co-ordination is carried out either directly or jointly with partners and commissioned private and third sector providers. This includes:

• coordinating the safeguarding and investigative process in response to allegations made against people working with children
• providing advice/guidance to employers or voluntary organisations
• liaising with police and other agencies including Ofsted and professional bodies such as the General Medical Council and the General Teaching Council
• monitoring the progress of referrals to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible, consistent with a thorough and fair process
• resolving any inter-agency issues
• collecting strategic data and maintaining a confidential database in relation to allegations.
• disseminating learning from LADO enquiries through the children’s workforce
• ensuring that measures are in place to prevent further harm or abuse and that where required, referrals are made to the appropriate social care team

The service processes personal information which is relevant to individual cases which may include, but is not limited to, the following personal data:

• personal details – e.g. name / age / address / school / and family details
• contact information – e.g. telephone numbers / email address
• personal reference numbers – e.g. Social Care unique customer reference number / NHS number/ Unique Learner Number /  National Insurance
• employment details
• financial details – for funding purposes
• licenses / permits held
• lifestyle and social circumstances
• opinions and decisions
• records of complaints
• safeguarding reports
• student and pupil records
• visual images, personal appearance and behaviour

We may also process some special category (sensitive) information, which is relevant to individual cases and may include some of the following but is not limited to:

• biometric information
• physical or mental health details
• racial or ethnic origin
• religious or other beliefs
• offences (including alleged offences), criminal proceedings, outcomes and sentences

The legal bases for processing this personal information are:

• compliance with a legal obligation relating to the following laws:
  • Children Act 1989
  • Children Act 2004
  • Children and Social Work Act 2017
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2015
  • Working Together to Safeguard Children 2018
• tasks carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority

We may need to share the personal information you have given to us or we’ve collected about you with partner organisations where relevant to the individual and/or their service provision. These include but are not limited to:

• Care Quality Commission
• Crown Prosecution Service
• West Mercia Police
• NHS
• employers – human resources departments
• OFSTED
• schools
• voluntary and community organisations

Information will only ever be shared when it is strictly necessary to help us provide effective services and you may have the right to refuse. We will not pass it onto any other parties unless required to do so by law or in all reasonable circumstances the disclosure is fair and warranted for the purposes of processing or subject to a data protection exemption.

We have specific data sharing agreements in place with local agencies and sometimes the law requires that we may have to pass your details on to a third party, for example, to prevent crime.

The standard record retention for Children's Services records is currently six years. However there are also a range of other retention periods affecting different types of information and service needs and these range from one year to permanent depending on the type of information and service. More information about our retention periods can be found in our summary Disposal Schedule (Excel file).

Please note stated retention periods may be subject to any legal holds imposed under the Inquiries Act 2005 that may concern the information and override standard retention periods.

You are entitled to a copy, or a description, of the personal data we hold that relates to you, subject to lawful restrictions. Please go to our Make a Data Protection Request page to find out how to make a request.

You may be entitled to rectification, restriction, objection, and erasure of your personal information depending on the service and legal basis. Please in the first instance contact the Local Authority Designated Officer on 01905 846221 to exercise these Information Rights or call the main Worcestershire County Council contact telephone number of 01905 765765.

Please see our overarching Privacy Notice for further contact details and if you have a complaint about your information rights.

We keep this Privacy Notice under regular review and we will place any updates on this web page. This Notice was last updated on 29 January 2019.