Social Worker Admonished Following Conduct Hearing In London

A Conduct Committee of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) has decided the case of a social worker from Trowbridge who was alleged to have breached the code of practice for social care workers by failing to follow procedures for the protection of vulnerable children and absence reporting.

Misconduct was found against the registrant, Gloria Eaton, and she was admonished, with a record of the admonishment to be placed on her entry in the Social Care Register for a period of 30 months. The Committee revoked the Interim Suspension Order (ISO) that had been imposed on Mrs Eaton.

The Committee found that Mrs Eaton had the potential to cause serious harm by failing to report a belief of a breach of bail condition involving a vulnerable child as well as initiating telephone contact with a child, who was a former client, six months after her dismissal from Wiltshire County Council. The Committee found that Mrs Eaton’s failure to adhere to the absence reporting procedures was unprofessional and caused potential risk to service users.

Registrants have a right of appeal to the independent Care Standards Tribunal.

GSCC Chair Rodney Brooke Said: “Social workers have a duty to act appropriately at all times, respecting the rights of service users and protecting them from abuse as set out in our Codes of Practice for Social Care Workers and Employers. All Registered Social Workers sign up to the codes of practice when they register with the GSCC.

“Social workers work with vulnerable individuals, and it is essential that they should be trustworthy and of good character. The GSCC exists to promote high standards among social care workers and can take action against those who do not meet the standards laid down in the codes of practice. At the same time, we applaud the many thousands of social care workers who meet those standards and do so much to help vulnerable people.”

Admonishment by the GSCC amounts to a caution and public record. The decision follows a four day Conduct Committee hearing in London.