Wick social worker given professional warning
A Wick social worker has been reprimanded for failing to maintain professional boundaries after she was found to have shared details of her private life with a young service user.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has placed a warning on Tracey Taylor's registration for 24 months and imposed conditions that she carry out refresher training.
The SSSC ruled that the unit manager with Highland Council had breached professional boundaries by messaging and calling a young person, referred to as AA, outwith her work. Ms Taylor also shared details about her private life.
Following a formal complaint about her behaviour, Ms Taylor also rang AA to discuss the matter.
The SSSC said these incidents caused AA "emotional distress".
Making its ruling, SSSC said: “Social service workers are expected to maintain appropriate professional boundaries with service users they support.”
It added: “Your behaviour is serious and amounted to a breach of the trust placed in you.”
It added that she had more than 20 years experience in the care sector so should have understood "the professional boundaries that are required between a worker and a young person".
But they added that Ms Taylor admitted her behaviour, “co-operated fully" with investigators, had "demonstrated genuine remorse" at the effect of her actions on AA and said that there were no past incidents or concerns about her behaviour.
