Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO)

Bracknell Forest Council; Bracknell; Hybrid; GBP 64,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Local government pension scheme

Life insurance

EV salary sacrifice

Job summary

Bracknell Forest Council is seeking an experienced Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) to lead on safeguarding concerns involving those who work with children. You will provide independent oversight, chair complex multi‑agency meetings, and oversee risk assessments to ensure timely outcomes for children.

The role requires a SWE registered social worker with substantial management experience in children’s social care and knowledge of safeguarding legislation.

Qualifications

• LADO requires a SWE registered social worker with substantial management experience in children’s social care and safeguarding.
• Experience coordinating complex allegation-management processes and applying safeguarding thresholds.
• Ability to chair multi-agency meetings and provide independent professional advice.

Responsibilities

• Chair complex multi-agency meetings and assess risk to secure timely outcomes.
• Provide independent oversight and challenge to safeguarding processes.
• Lead service development, quality assurance and inter-agency training within the LADO function.
• Maintain accurate records and report on timeliness, outcomes and learning.

Skills

Leadership

Multi-agency coordination

Risk assessment

Analytical thinking

Communication

Report writing

Education

SWE registered social worker

Job description

£63,860-£66,139 per year inclusive of London Weighting

Location:

Contract:

Permanent

Working Pattern:

Flexible Hours/Full Time

Hours:

37 hours per week.

DBS Check:

Closing Date:

21/10/2026 at 23:59

Reference:

People/26/346285

Do you have the experience, expertise and professional judgement to lead on complex safeguarding concerns and allegations involving those who work with children?

As Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), you will provide independent oversight, authoritative challenge and effective multi-agency coordination, keeping children’s welfare, wishes and feelings at the heart of decision-making. You will also shape and quality assure the LADO service, strengthen practice and turn learning into continuous improvement.

At Bracknell Forest, we pride ourselves on being a council which is stable and well-managed where our employees can thrive in a supportive environment. We understand the importance of a healthy work-life balance and offer a variety of flexible working practices, including options for remote working and arrangements that allow you to work from home, dependent on the needs of the service.

This role includes an expectation to work from our Time Square office two days per week, alongside flexible working arrangements.

About you…

As a LADO you will be a SWE registered social worker with substantial management experience in children’s social care, child protection and multi-agency safeguarding.

You will have detailed, current knowledge of safeguarding legislation and statutory guidance, together with experience of coordinating complex allegation-management processes, applying the harm threshold and providing independent advice and challenge.

As a LADO you will chair complex multi-agency meetings, assess risk, manage professional disagreement and secure timely outcomes.

Your strong analytical, communication and report-writing skills are essential, alongside resilience, sound judgement and the confidence to influence senior professionals. Experience of child protection conference chairing, multi-agency training, organisational safeguarding or safer recruitment would be an advantage.

About the team…

The LADO is based within the Quality Assurance service and works closely with Children’s Social Care, the police, employers, education, early years, health, Ofsted, the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) and other safeguarding partners.

We are a small, experienced and supportive team that values professional independence, constructive challenge, strong partnership working and a clear focus on safeguarding children.

You will have the opportunity to influence practice across the local safeguarding system, advise senior leaders and help organisations understand and meet their responsibilities.

• Receive referrals and consultations, gather relevant information, apply the harm threshold and advise on proportionate safeguarding action.
• Convene and chair allegation-management meetings, agree clear actions and timescales, monitor progress and challenge avoidable delay.
• Keep children’s welfare, wishes and feelings central while ensuring fair, consistent and evidence-based processes for all involved.
• Provide authoritative advice on risk management, information sharing, safer working, suspension considerations and referrals to the DBS or professional regulators.
• Work effectively with employers, safeguarding partners, other LADOs and relevant agencies, including on cross-boundary and high-profile matters.
• Maintain accurate and secure records, analyse service data and report on timeliness, outcomes, themes, disproportionality, risk and learning.
• Lead service development, quality assurance, audit and multi-agency training to strengthen organisational safeguarding and safer practice.
• Chair Child Protection Conferences when reasonably required, while maintaining sufficient capacity, availability and independence for the statutory LADO function.
• 28 days annual leave increasing to 33 days after 3 years’ continuous service, with the opportunity to buy up to 10 and sell up to 5 days.
• Hybrid working opportunities to support your wellbeing and work-life balance.
• Local government pension scheme, with life insurance cover.
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility).
• Reimbursement of one annual professional subscription/registration.
• Reimbursement of Social Work England registration.
• Recognition of continuous service attained within the NHS and UKHSA when calculating some benefits. (Terms and Conditions apply)
• Career development through internal and external training opportunities.
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and fostering leave.
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support your health and wellbeing
• Inclusive and social working environment with a variety of staff networks and a sports and social club.

At Bracknell Forest Council our values define who we are and what is important to us.Our core values are inclusive, ambitious, and always learning. These values influence the way we work with each other and the way we serve our residents and engage with our communities.We make our values real by demonstrating them in how we behave every day. If you are excited about joining a diverse team that celebrates learning and strives for excellence, we would love to hear from you.

Disability confident and inclusive recruitment...

Bracknell Forest Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive employer. This means that if you tell us on your application form that you have a disability, are an armed forces veteran or are a care leaver, you will be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

Interview date

Interviews will be held on 2 nd November 2026

Interviews will be conducted in person, providing candidates with the chance to personally meet the team and experience our work environment.

We will be reviewing applications regularly and reserve the right to close the advert early if suitable candidates are identified. To avoid disappointment, you are advised to submit your application as soon as possible.

Please note AI is prohibited during the interview, any candidate using AI will be withdrawn from consideration.

Want to ask us a question?

For an informal discussion or to ask any questions about this role, please contact:

Job Title: Head of Quality Assurance

Phone Number: 01344352767

Bracknell Forest Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect everyone employed with us to share this commitment. All successful candidates for this role will be subject to a DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service) check as part of our pre-employment checks process.

Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience of working within the current Social Care System and Framework.

We can only accept applications from candidates currently residing in the UK.

Candidates currently residing in the UK who require sponsorship to work are encouraged to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) based on the relevant criteria. Please be aware that sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.

No agencies please.

Bracknell Forest Council – Working for Equality. We welcome applications from all sections of the community.