social worker conduct hearing scheduled

21st June 2007

A hearing into the conduct of a Registered Social Worker from London will be held on 28 and 29 June 2007 by the social care workforce regulator for England, the General Social Care Council (GSCC).

The social worker is alleged to have committed misconduct and breached the GSCC's Code of Practice for Social Care Workers by not informing her employer of the reasons for taking extended leave, not informing her employer of her resignation from employment, misrepresenting her work role in correspondence with an external agency and by not disclosing her full employment to the GSCC and a potential future employer.

Through registration all social workers are accountable for their conduct and practice. Action can be taken against social workers who breach the code of practice. They can be removed from the register if it is considered that they are no longer suitable to be a Registered Social Worker. Such decisions, which are not taken lightly, are taken to protect the public interest and the 1.5 million people who use social care services.

GSCC conduct hearings are normally held in public but people attending are advised to contact the GSCC on the numbers below to reserve seats and check the hearings are going ahead according to schedule. It is possible that a hearing may take place in private in accordance with the GSCC's Conduct Rules if the particular circumstances of the case outweigh the public interest in holding a public hearing. This will be only decided by the independent conduct committee on the first day of the hearing after inviting representations from the parties.