Sacked social worker faces allegations

A former Aberdeen social worker has appeared at a disciplinary hearing to face a series of accusations linked to the care of 12 vulnerable children in the city.

Heather Clark was sacked by Aberdeen City Council in March and a three-day hearing into the allegations against her opened at the Scottish Social Services Council’s conduct committee in Dundee yesterday.

The 51-year-old has been accused of 24 “failures” relating to six Aberdeen families. Ms Clark could be struck off by the regulator if the accusations are upheld.

The Press and Journal can today reveal details of the allegations against Ms Clark for the first time. They relate to various periods between November 2006 and October 13, 2008, exactly a month before the local authority and other north-east agencies were severely criticised in an HM Inspectorate of Education report on child protection services.

Ms Clark faces nine charges relating to a family named only as “GW” and three children on the child protection register aged one, three and five.

Included is the charge that Ms Clark was “dishonest” by telling a senior child protection officer that she had discussed an allegation of abuse from within the extended family with the child’s mother when she had not.

She is also accused of failing to follow the council’s child protection procedures after receiving information that the children were at “significant risk” after it emerged they had “ingested cannabis” in the parental home.

Other allegations relating to the “GW” family include that Ms Clark failed to record weekly visits to the children, failed to assess the three fathers of the three children or their maternal grandmother, with whom they were living, despite the grandmother having had her own six children removed from her care.

The second family, named only as “S”, was allocated Ms Clark as their social worker and had three children aged nine, 11 and 12, who were all to be supervised under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. Ms Clark faces four charges relating to the family, including that she failed to assess the children’s father, “despite having knowledge of his involvement with a female sex offender”.

The third case relates to four-year-old “child ES”, who was on the child protection register and subject to supervision requirements.

Among three charges relating to “child ES”, Ms Clark is accused of advising the four-year-old’s grandmother that the youngster would be returning to her mother’s care without an assessment having been carried out of the mother.

The fourth case includes four charges relating to the care of nine-year-old “child P”, who had been living with foster carers, but it is alleged was not asked for her views on a permanent placement.

The fifth case relates to the “R family”, which had three children on the child protection register aged eight, 12 and 14. It is alleged Ms Clark did not complete or record weekly visits to the family.

The final case relates to 14-year-old “child C” who had “significant health issues”. It is claimed that Ms Clark received a serious allegation that the youngster had been subjected to sexual and physical assault by a family member. It is alleged that Ms Clark failed to record the allegation, failed to notify her line manager and, therefore, that it was not clear she had taken any action in relation to the child.

Aberdeen City Council and the Scottish Social Services Council would not comment last night while the hearing was ongoing.