Barking and Dagenham social worker ‘failed children’

A SOCIAL worker put the safety of 33 vulnerable children at risk after failing to update their records and return confidential reports, a professional body heard.

Barking and Dagenham child protection officer Sharon Yearwood exposed fostered and at risk children to potential harm and also acted dishonestly racking up a £1,800 bill on her work mobile phone calling close relatives, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) was told.

The reviewing officer, who liaised with police, doctors and teachers, was suspended in October but escaped being struck off after telling the conduct hearing her mistakes had occurred at a time of “significant turmoil” in her personal life.

She had pleaded with a judge to reinstate her during her interim suspension in February 2010, claiming the case against her had not been fully proven and that it would ultimately fail.

But Judge David Pearl rejected her plea in March to protect the public and serve the public interest.

Some of the mobile telephone calls were made on Christmas Day, others in the evening and at weekends when she was off work.

She told the General Social Care Council that she thought she could use her work mobile for personal calls.

She worked for the child protection reviewing service as an independent officer with Barking & Dagenham Council between March 2006 and April 2008.

The care council gave her a four-year caution on June 22 after ruling she had not been malicious.

“There was no suggestion that she was motivated by malice or bad faith,” a GSCC conduct committee said.

“The misconduct relates to a relatively brief period of time and to one specific form of activity, namely the failure to complete child care reviews and to return relevant papers.”

The committee added: “Ms Yearwood’s actions exposed vulnerable children to unnecessary risk of potential harm.

“This was a breach of the codes of practice for social care workers.”

A Barking & Dagenham Council spokesman said on Monday: “Sharon Yearwood went off sick during the council’s investigation and did not complete a significant amount of work which other managers had to complete to meet our statutory obligations.

“Sharon Yearwood resigned from the council in August 2008 during the course of our investigation.

“The council’s action led to the case being brought before the GSCC. The council will continue to seek to recover all monies which are believed to be some £800.