We support early years and childcare providers in their policy and practice for safeguarding and child protection. The Department for Education defines safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children as:
- protecting children from maltreatment
- preventing impairment of children’s health or development
- ensuring children are growing up in circumstances consistent with the provision of safe and effective care
If you think a child is being abused or neglected, please contact the council’s Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) during office hours:
The links below will help ensure safeguarding children policies and procedures are robust and cover all relevant areas – for further information about your safeguarding policy and practice, contact your linked Childcare Development Officer.
Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)
The Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), also known as the designated officer, is a role set out in the government guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children (2018).
Portsmouth’s LADO is Hayley Cowmeadow, who can be contacted by:
- phone on 023 9288 2500
- email LADO@portsmouthcc.gov.uk
The LADO should be alerted to all cases in which it is alleged that a person who works with children has:
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates he or she may pose a risk of harm to children.
- possibly committed a criminal offence against children, or related to a child
- behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicates s/he is unsuitable to work with children
The LADO role applies to paid, unpaid, volunteers, casual, agency or anyone self employed and they capture concerns, allegations or offences emanating from outside of work. More information is available on the PCSB website.
For details of how the council uses information about allegations against Persons in Positions of Trust, please visit our Data Protection Privacy Notice page.