Children’s worker struck off for lying about home visits

A children’s social worker has been struck off for lying to her manager about 69 visits to eight children on the at-risk register.

Charon Salisbury, who worked for Plymouth Council, falsely entered the visits on the authority’s case recording system between October 2007 and March 2008.

A conduct committee of the General Social Care Council found she had placed the children at risk of harm by failing to monitor their family situations and make risk assessments.

The records stated Salisbury, the allocated worker for the eight children, had completed the visits herself.

She told the committee that she had sent a student social worker to complete the visits, that her manager was aware of this and it was acceptable practice.

However, Margaret Bersey, then her line manager, denied this. She said she had not agreed that a student could make these home visits and Salisbury had not disclosed that the visits had been delegated.

The student, Monique Roberts, denied making any child protection visits on Salisbury’s behalf. She added that she had reported Salisbury to her line manager for making false entries on the recording system.

Although the committee took into account Salisbury’s previous good character, it concluded the misconduct was “deliberate, systematic and persistent” and that removal from the register was the only appropriate sanction.

By “failing to monitor the well-being of the children, she undermined public confidence in social care services”, the notice of hearing said.

Although Salisbury had expressed remorse for what had taken place, she had not fully acknowledged the severity of her actions, the committee found.

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