A social worker from Huntingdon has been suspended from the Social Care Register for a period of six months by an independent committee of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) for forming an inappropriate personal relationship and for failing to disclose information to her employer.
Following the three-day hearing in London the committee found misconduct against Martine Boyd for failing to inform her manager that a complaint about her conduct was being investigated by a previous employer and for forming a personal relationship with the father of a child to whom she was the allocated social worker.
The Conduct Committee noted that the personal relationship between Ms Boyd and Mr A was incompatible with the public’s expectation of trust and confidence in social care workers. The committee concluded that by failing to disclose to Bedfordshire County Council immediately the complaint that was being investigated by Cambridgeshire County Council, Ms Boyd had failed to comply with the requirements set out in the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers.
In determining that Ms Boyd should be suspended from the register the committee concluded that a period of six months would be appropriate in the circumstances of this case. In reaching this conclusion, the committee balanced the interests of Ms Boyd against the public interest and the need to protect the public from harm. The committee took into account Ms Boyd’s good disciplinary record and the testimonials which showed she was an able social worker who had worked conscientiously and industriously.
Sir Rodney Brooke, Chair of the GSCC said: “Social workers are in a unique position of trust in society and therefore honesty, integrity and the need for professional boundaries is imperative. All social workers are bound by the codes of practice and the GSCC can take action against any registrant who breaks these codes in order to protect the public and people who use services.”
Registrants have a right of appeal to the independent Care Standards Tribunal.