The LADO Education Safeguarding Advisory Service (LESAS)

This decision aligns both services with the national ‘Working Together to Safeguarding Children’ agenda and will result in increased capacity to provide LADO and education safeguarding support to Kent education settings and the wider Children’s workforce.

The LADO Education Safeguarding Advisory Service (LESAS) consists of qualified Social Work England registered social workers and education professionals, all of whom have extensive knowledge of safeguarding children - both in children’s social care and in a variety of education and other services. The new team will continue to offer many of the same services but will have increased capacity to provide bespoke training and consultancy work for schools and settings, and will be able to offer an increased number of safeguarding reviews.

For further information about the new service, please access the LESAS Mission Statement (PDF, 122.9 KB) and KSCMP website. Information about the new service on the Kelsi and Education People websites is currently being updated.

What we do

Our role is to continue and build upon the statutory LADO function for the whole of the children’s workforce and support education settings (early years settings, childminders, schools and colleges) in Kent who work with children aged 0 to 18 to meet their safeguarding responsibilities and respond to safeguarding concerns. Our team is made up of experienced social work and education professionals who have a thorough understanding of key local and national legislation and statutory guidance related to safeguarding and education safeguarding practice.

Please be aware that the previous ESS advice and support phone line is now closed and has been replaced with the LESAS enquiries service. LESAS will continue to offer support in times of crisis, core policy templates, a Child Protection newsletter, local DSL ‘Catch ups’ and a DSL training programme. The service can also be commissioned to provide a range of high-quality training and other safeguarding support products for DSLs and staff within the children’s workforce, including safeguarding reviews which promote best practice and empower education settings to ensure their learners are as safe as they can be.

Contacting LESAS

• If schools or settings have concerns relating to the welfare of a child(ren), they should contact the Front Door Service through the Kent Integrated Children's Services Portal
• To make a referral to the LADO regarding an allegation against a member of staff, please complete a LADO referral through the Kent Integrated Children's Services Portal
• If schools or settings need clarification on whether to make a LADO referral, need general or strategic education safeguarding or online safety advice (not specific to individual children), or would like to enquire about safeguarding reviews, training or other related products, please use the LESAS enquiry form