A social worker from Harrow Council has been suspended for two years for sexual misconduct against a vulnerable service user.
Richard Watkins admitted to making inappropriate comments, sending sexually explicit text messages and having inappropriate physical contact with the service user, to the conduct committee of the General Social Care Council on Wednesday.
Initially, Watkins, who lives in Pinner, denied that the incidents had taken place with the mental health service user but he later admitted to the allegations after an investigation began.
Although he showed remorse and apologised for breaching the Code of Practice for social care workers, the committee said: “These factors did not detract from the seriousness of the inappropriate conduct towards a vulnerable person who uses services." It suspended Watkins for a period of two years.
Watkins now has the right to appeal to the Care Standards Tribunal.
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