2. Records and allegations against staff

Best-evidence notes

• Contemporaneous, attributable, timed
• The person’s words in quotation marks where you can
• Fact versus your opinion, labelled as such
• No silent overwriting after a complaint

These notes may be used in a strategy discussion or court. Write as if they will be.

Allegations about a colleague

If a staff member may have harmed a child, England uses the LADO (local authority designated officer) pathway, plus the employer’s procedure, and the GDC where fitness to practise is in issue. Other nations have an equivalent. Do not gossip; do not ignore it because the person is popular or a high earner.

Adults harmed by staff

Employer procedure, adult safeguarding, and professional regulation as indicated. The designated lead should not investigate themselves if they are implicated.