A social worker from Stoke Mandeville has been formally admonished after a conduct committee found that he had sexually assaulted women at a trade union residential event.

Tom Watt, 50, appeared before an independent committee of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) and admitted five of the six charges against him. The committee heard that he kissed three women and grabbed and squeezed one of the woman’s breasts without consent. He also asked one of the women questions about her sexuality. The incidents took place at a Unison residential event in 2003, a Unison Delegate conference in 2006 and a Christmas party some time between 2003-2006. The committee concluded that his behaviour constituted a sexual assault towards all three women.

Watt, who works with people with spinal injuries, was found to have breached the profession’s code of practice and was issued with a five year admonishment – a caution set alongside his name on the public register of social workers. The committee said that his actions in relation to two of the women were an abuse of his position as branch secretary for Unison. They noted that he did not admit the allegations until the first day of the hearing despite having had previous opportunities to do so. Victim impact statements from the women indicated that they were distressed by Watt’s continued denials, as well as his misconduct.

In coming to their decision to admonish Watt, the committee noted that his misconduct had not affected any users of services and there was no evidence that he had behaved inappropriately since 2006 either sexually or otherwise.

Rosie Varley, Chair of the GSCC, said: “Social workers are required as a condition of their registration with us to uphold public trust and confidence in social care services. Only a small minority of the 95,000 social workers and students will ever behave in a way which undermines this. When this does happen, it is vital that we take action to safeguard public confidence in social work and those who provide it.”