Social worker struck off for stealing £50,000 from charity

A charity service director who stole more than £50,000 from her employer has been removed from the social workers’ register.

Lynne Greenwood, 57, a self-confessed “compulsive spender”, took £52,700 in cash over a period of around 18 months from Manchester-based charity Creative Support, which supports people with learning disabilities and mental health problems.

Greenwood: ‘no one was harmed’

Greenwood, of Rochdale, did not attend the hearing of a General Social Care Council conduct committee, but said in a letter that she was a compulsive spender and was receiving help to address these issues.

She claimed no service user was directly harmed by her actions and, as she was not employed as a social worker at the time, her actions did not reflect negatively on the profession.

Committee: ‘no insight into the seriousness of her actions’

However, the conduct committee said her actions constituted a serious breach of the code of practice for social workers.

It said Greenwood had occupied a senior position within the charity and had deprived service users of valuable funds.

The committee added that, by saying in her letter that money was not taken directly from service users, Greenwood “failed to demonstrate insight into the seriousness and impact of her actions”.

Suspended prison sentence

Greenwood was convicted of two counts of theft at Manchester Crown Court in November 2008.

She was given an 11 months suspended prison term over two years on the condition that she return the money to Creative Support, which she has done.

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