Allegations are rare, but when they happen they can feel overwhelming. Knowing the process—and your rights—helps you stay grounded, protect children, and protect yourself. This guide explains how allegations are handled in the UK, what the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) does, how Ofsted is notified, what support you should receive, and what happens afterwards.
What counts as an allegation?
An allegation is different from a general complaint or concern about standards. It is dealt with under child protection procedures because it suggests a carer (or another adult in the household) may have harmed a child, committed a relevant offence, behaved in a way that indicates a risk of harm, or otherwise be unsuitable to work with children. These thresholds mirror the national framework for managing allegations about adults who work with children.
Fostering services must have clear, written procedures—aligned to Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Fostering Services National Minimum Standards (NMS)—so that cases are handled fairly, quickly and consistently, protecting the child and supporting the carer at the same time.
The first hours and days: who is told and what happens
When an allegation is made, the fostering service immediately considers safeguarding and informs the LADO in the placing local authority. The LADO provides advice, decides whether the allegation meets the threshold for the multi-agency procedures, and oversees the case from start to finish, coordinating information-sharing and ensuring it progresses in a timely, confidential way.
Your fostering service also has duties to notify Ofsted about serious incidents and safeguarding referrals using the social care notification process and the specific IFA form where relevant. These notifications help inspectors understand what happened and what actions managers took.
Expect your supervising social worker (SSW) to contact you quickly, explain next steps, and discuss any immediate safety plan—for example, changes to contact, school arrangements, or (in some cases) a temporary move for the child while enquiries progress. Local procedures emphasise speed, sensitivity and open communication with everyone affected.
The three-strand process
Once the LADO agrees the threshold is met, the case is managed across up to three strands:
- Police: whether a criminal offence may have been committed.
- Children’s social care: whether the child is at risk of significant harm (Section 47 inquiries).
- Fostering/employment: whether the carer’s conduct or suitability is in question (standards/disciplinary).
A strategy meeting (sometimes called an allegations meeting) is convened, chaired by the LADO, with police, social care, the fostering service and any other relevant professionals. It agrees the plan for enquiries, what can be shared, and how the child and carer will be supported.
There are no rigid statutory timescales for every step, but LADOs are expected to track progress and avoid drift. If you feel your case is stalling, ask your SSW to raise this with the LADO and manager.
Your rights during an allegation
- To be informed (as far as confidentiality allows) about the nature of the allegation and the next steps. Procedures require open, honest communication handled sensitively.
- To receive support—including independent support separate from your agency’s investigation. The Fostering Network and Fosterline provide impartial advice in all four nations, and most fostering services can commission independent support for you.
- To fair treatment under NMS Standard 22: investigations should protect the child and support the person subject to the allegation; records should be secure and confidential.
- To clear information about placement and finance: you should be told if placements will be paused, whether there’s a retainer or fee during the process, and what training or supervision is available. (Check your foster carer agreement; arrangements vary by service.)
- To be represented/advocated at meetings where appropriate and to supply your account and evidence (daily logs, messages, school communications, medical notes, etc.).
What you should do
- Prioritise safety: follow any interim plan agreed with your SSW and the LADO.
- Do not investigate yourself: avoid questioning the child or making enquiries that could compromise evidence; let professionals lead.
- Keep recording: maintain factual, contemporaneous records—what happened, who said what, and what actions you took. Good daily logs and contact notes help decision-makers. (Your service should give guidance on digital recording and data protection.)
- Use independent support: contact The Fostering Network or Fosterline for confidential advice; ask your service to commission an independent worker if they haven’t already.
- Look after yourself: allegations can be psychologically draining. Ask for respite if appropriate, and seek wellbeing support (your GP, counselling, peer support groups). Recent workforce news underlines how vital meaningful support is to retention.
Possible outcomes
When enquiries conclude, the allegation is usually categorised (wording can vary by local procedure), for example:
- Substantiated: sufficient identifiable evidence to prove the allegation.
- Unsubstantiated: insufficient evidence either way.
- Unfounded/false: allegation is shown to be untrue.
- Malicious: a deliberate act to deceive.
Whatever the outcome, the fostering service will conduct a post-investigation review of your approval. This looks at the evidence, the outcome, any learning, and whether extra training or changes to your safer caring plan are needed. You should be able to comment on the review and see what will be recorded on your file.
Serious incidents and outcomes remain part of your fostering record (with restrictions on who can access them) in line with NMS and data protection law. If the case raised conduct or suitability issues, your service may refer to a panel or consider conditions on approval; you have routes to make representations or appeal under the Regulations and service policy.
If you disagree with the handling or the outcome
- Raise it with your SSW and the fostering manager first, in writing.
- Use the service’s complaints procedure and ask about early mediation.
- For independent oversight issues (e.g., inspection judgments or systemic concerns), note that Ofsted considers intelligence through notifications and inspection; you can review what they expect services to report.
- Where the allegation process itself felt unclear, ask for a meeting with the LADO (usually arranged via your service) to understand the rationale and ensure learning is captured. Many safeguarding partnerships publish LADO leaflets for foster carers outlining rights, timescales and contacts.
How agencies should support you better
Good practice includes: giving you a named support worker independent of the case; written timelines and regular updates; clarity on finance/retainers while you’re without placements; and swift access to training if safer caring needs strengthening. The NMS explicitly requires services to support carers under investigation, not just to investigate them.
Key takeaways
- Allegations trigger a LADO-led, multi-agency process that looks at criminal, safeguarding and fostering/employment strands.
- You have rights to information, fair treatment, independent support, and clear decisions about placements and finance.
- Ofsted must be notified of serious incidents and safeguarding referrals; inspectors may discuss these during inspection.
- Whatever the outcome, expect a post-investigation review that focuses on learning and suitability, with your input recorded.
If you’re facing an allegation now, don’t go through it alone. Ask your fostering service to arrange independent support, contact The Fostering Network or Fosterline for advice, and keep communicating with your SSW and the LADO team. The process exists to protect children and to ensure carers are treated fairly—use your rights and the support available to you.