In an article headlined 'Employment and record checks failure exposed at councils' the website Communitycare.co.uk has published the following:
'The Care Standards Tribunal has accused three UK councils of failings that could have put vulnerable children at risk by allowing a man with bogus credentials to practise as a social worker.'
The three councils are Denbighshire Council, Wales, Highland Council, Scotland and Stockport Council, north west England. More information from Communitycare.co.uk available here.
Reading the full judgment of the Care Standards tribunal available here it states that this bogus worker worked for the council between 25 January 2006 to 17 March 2006 through an agency.
This judgement also quotes information supplied on a 'former employee complaint form' by Highland Council, 'The form confirmed that the Appellant had been employed as a social worker with Highland Council – Social Work Service in the Culloden, Children and Families Team. The description of the Appellant’s job duties was stated as “social work in Children and Families Team, undertaking assessments and implementing and reviewing care plans of children in need and looked after children. Contact would include home visits.”
This is all very worrying information indeed. Again according to the Community Care website: 'Highland said it had offered staff "further support and guidance to ensure references and registration are all robustly scrutinised and checked" 'Let us hope that Highland Council now have sufficient procedures in place to stop this happening again and the means to check on all their staff's qualifications and previous employment etc. The Community needs to be fully protected and to be 100% sure that all the council's employees are fully qualified for the roles they may carry out. Will the 'Three Convenors' give us that assurance?
'The Care Standards Tribunal has accused three UK councils of failings that could have put vulnerable children at risk by allowing a man with bogus credentials to practise as a social worker.'
The three councils are Denbighshire Council, Wales, Highland Council, Scotland and Stockport Council, north west England. More information from Communitycare.co.uk available here.
Reading the full judgment of the Care Standards tribunal available here it states that this bogus worker worked for the council between 25 January 2006 to 17 March 2006 through an agency.
This judgement also quotes information supplied on a 'former employee complaint form' by Highland Council, 'The form confirmed that the Appellant had been employed as a social worker with Highland Council – Social Work Service in the Culloden, Children and Families Team. The description of the Appellant’s job duties was stated as “social work in Children and Families Team, undertaking assessments and implementing and reviewing care plans of children in need and looked after children. Contact would include home visits.”
This is all very worrying information indeed. Again according to the Community Care website: 'Highland said it had offered staff "further support and guidance to ensure references and registration are all robustly scrutinised and checked" 'Let us hope that Highland Council now have sufficient procedures in place to stop this happening again and the means to check on all their staff's qualifications and previous employment etc. The Community needs to be fully protected and to be 100% sure that all the council's employees are fully qualified for the roles they may carry out. Will the 'Three Convenors' give us that assurance?
For more on this story, pop into a newsagent's and buy the Highland News.
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