Social Worker Who Advertised As Escort Girl Is Suspended

A social worker who advertised herself as an escort girl through an online agency has been banned from working with vulnerable children. Yvonne Doyle, a supervisor, was the first person to appear before a General Social Care Council conduct panel, the profession’s new disciplinary body.

She was found to have breached her employer’s trust and has been suspended as a social worker for two years, the maximum period the panel could impose.

Doyle, a married mother in her 40s, advertised herself with Elite Escorts, which has links to websites associated with prostitution, her hearing was told. At the time she was working as a team manager responsible for recruiting and supporting foster carers and supervising other members of staff.

At first she declined to attend the proceedings in Newcastle upon Tyne in April but her barrister successfully applied for the three-day hearing to be held in private.

In the panel’s adjudication, published yesterday, Doyle was found to have brought the social work profession into disrepute and damaged public confidence in the service. Barry Picken, the chairman, said the panel had decided to make an order suspending her registration from the register of social workers for two years.

He ruled: “The committee has found as a fact that Doyle, on unknown dates in 2004, while employed as a team manager in a fostering services agency, advertised herself as an escort with an internet escort agency which had links with websites associated with prostitution.”

Mr Picken said: “Doyle was working with and responsible for young and vulnerable service users, many of whom would have had a history of abuse and lack of stable family life.

“For any social workers to advertise themselves on an internet website which has direct links to prostitution is to behave in a way which calls into question their suitability to work in social care services.”

Doyle, from Bishop Auckland, Co Durham, was found guilty of misconduct.

Doyle was a well respected and experienced social worker who had spent seven years in children services with no previous instances of misconduct. She has 28 days to appeal against the ban.

Her husband, Kenneth, said she intended to appeal against the ruling.