Agency worker suspended for fiddling timesheets

An agency social worker who forged timesheets and claimed pay for hours she did not work has been suspended from the social care register for three months.

Susan Lang was employed within Greenwich Council’s children’s services between May and June 2009 when she signed timesheets in the name of the assistant team manager and team manager.

She also dishonestly claimed pay for six hours that she did not work.

The General Social Care Council’s conduct committee found Lang had broken the trust of her colleagues.

Lang did not attend the hearing or express any regret or insight into her behaviour.

The committee took into account the fact that the sum she had claimed was relatively small and did not involve service users.

However, it pointed out that the public expects social workers to be honest and trustworthy.

Social worker caught stealing acted “out of character”

A social worker who was caught shoplifting has been admonished by the General Social Care Council.

Ann Healy accepted a police caution in December 2009 for three offences of theft in different shops but on the same day.

Healy did not inform the GSCC of the caution, but the conduct committee accepted she had honestly believed the police would do so.

Healy’s dishonesty had not caused direct harm to service users, the committee found.

She had shown insight and remorse and demonstrated a “genuine commitment” to social work in a written statement.

The committee was also told that Healy had been suffering from a health condition at the time and the offences were out of character.

Her NHS consultant confirmed it was unlikely she would repeat the behaviour.

The committee admonished her for two months.

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