Children’s care home worker in sex allegations

A worker from a children’s care home is facing a disciplinary hearing following allegations she had a relationship with a teenager in her care.

The 35-year-old woman, who worked for an independent company near Carlisle, is to face a two-day conduct hearing with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) starting next Thursday.

She was suspended from her position as a residential child care worker in February after a relationship with a 16-year-old boy in a care home in Scotland came to light.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was the boy’s keyworker and is accused of entering into an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with him between February 3 and June 2 last year.

She is also accused of:

•     Asking to visit a friend while acting as duty manager at a home and instead arranging to spend the weekend with the teenager;
•     Failing to tell an adventure company of his whereabouts when they believed he had absconded and she was due to meet him;
•     Entering into an inappropriate sexual relationship with him on June 10;
•     Replying to a text from him when her manager asked her not to contact him;
•     Maintaining contact with him on her personal mobile instead of her manager’s mobile;
•     Not logging contact with him when asked to by her manager.

A spokeswoman for the company – which offers placements for children who have ‘emotional and behavioural difficulties’ – declined to comment when she was contacted this week by The Cumberland News.

She said the woman, who is understood to have worked for the company for six years, had since resigned.

Strathclyde Police confirmed they had reported a 35-year-old woman to the Procurator Fiscal but the case had not been taken any further.

The company, which is registered with Ofsted, operates small facilities across Carlisle and the Lake District, together with a base in Lanarkshire.

They provide crisis placements for children from anywhere in the UK and offer a host of outdoor activities to engage young people and “allow them the space and distance from past experiences to be able to express themselves.”

The company said it takes referrals from local authorities across the UK, but a spokesman for Cumbria County Council said they did not use their services.

They were made aware of the allegation and that it was being dealt with under the Scottish system, he said.

A colleague of the woman said they had to register with the Scottish Social Services Council because the company had a care home in Scotland and they may be required to work there, as is the case in this instance.

It is understood the issue surrounds whether the 16-year-old was still in care when the relationship developed.

Following a conduct hearing, the SSSC can suspend a worker for up to two years, remove them, impose a condition on their register or put a warning on their file.