by Mark IvorySocial worker Lynda Barnes did not hide her conviction for conspiring to murder her husband, yet she was still employed as a manager in children's services and passed muster with the General Social Care Council. She may have given a selective account of her actions, but neither the GSCC nor Bath and North East Somerset Council should have relied on it as much as they did.
It is an important principle that a criminal record should not
automatically prevent someone from becoming a social worker. Social
work, of all professions, should welcome the reformed character into
its ranks and the deeper empathy that this may bring into the
relationship with clients. Barnes, it should be said, had reportedly
been the victim of domestic violence.
But her conviction went beyond the limits of acceptability and should have prompted more detailed investigation. The GSCC will have to do much better if social work is ever to be credible in the eyes of the public.
Social worker Lynda Barnes "devastated" by court ruling
But her conviction went beyond the limits of acceptability and should have prompted more detailed investigation. The GSCC will have to do much better if social work is ever to be credible in the eyes of the public.
Social worker Lynda Barnes "devastated" by court ruling
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