GSCC releases its findings in Tricia Forbes case

The General Social Care Council has announced the details of the case of social worker Tricia Forbes, who was removed from the register after her conduct had placed a teenage girl at serious risk.

The conduct committee decided that Forbes had shown a defensive attitude at times, a lack of consistent insight into her failings and had attempted to shift responsibility onto others, following the four-day hearing in London last week.

Forbes had admitted failing to initiate a child protection investigation, leaving a 13-year-old girl at the side of the road and choosing not to share information with other professionals at a strategy meeting. 

The girl, known as A, had disclosed physical abuse and a manager had asked Forbes to accompany a social work assistant to a meeting with the child’s parents.

Instead, Forbes dropped A at the side of the road and left the assistant to do the visit with another practitioner. The girl later went missing for four days before being admitted to hospital with alcohol poisoning.

At a strategy meeting held afterwards, Forbes decided not to share details about her previous involvement with the case and had told the committee she had been “embarassed” that she did not have all information about the case.

But the committee decided she had put her own interests before those of the child, which was “inexcusable”.

Forbes had five years’ experience as a social worker and was a deputy team manager at Waltham Forest Council in east London at the time of dealing with the case in May 2005.

GSCC removes social worker from register