Social worker struck off after falsely claiming to have made case visits

A Lincolnshire County Council agency social worker has been struck off for falsely claiming to have made case visits.

The Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service removed Trudy Ann Taylor from its register following a hearing.

It found that in 2015 Ms Taylor did not undertake a safeguarding visit to the children of ‘Family A’ following an alleged domestic violence incident involving the parents, but recorded an assessment visit which stated she had spoken to the children at their schools, when this was not the case, and had set out statements which were allegedly made by the children and reported on their demeanour when she had not seen them.

Ms Taylor was also alleged to have assessed the wellbeing of the children with no basis for doing so.

The panel heard Ms Taylor had not been in contact with the Health and Care Professions Council since February 2016 and had not applied for an adjournment, so decided to proceed in her absence.

The tribunal panel said: “The safeguarding of vulnerable children is a fundamental tenet of the profession of social workers. Although in this case the children came to no harm, by not visiting them, the registrant failed in her responsibility as a social worker to protect them. They were thus deprived of the opportunity to have a voice and express any concerns or fears about their situation.

“The registrant compounded this failure by fabricating documents to provide the impression that she had, in fact, performed her duty. Such an act meant that others who subsequently consulted the record would draw incorrect conclusions about the well-being of the children.”

Mark Smulian