Social worker struck off for placing sex offender with family

A social worker who placed a young man with a history of inappropriate sexual behaviour with a foster family has been struck off the register in Wales.

Julian Swan, a social worker with eight years’ experience, failed to read the case file and carry out a proper risk assessment before placing the young man with the family, the Care Council for Wales’ conduct committee heard.

The former Vale of Glamorgan Council employee also failed to inform the carers of the risk.The man went on to abuse two children in the family for which he was convicted.

Swan denied misconduct, but the conduct committee found he had failed to take necessary steps to minimise the risks of service users causing “actual or potential harm to themselves or other people”.

Swan’s conduct fell “far short” of what was expected of an experienced social worker, the committee added.

It said: “The registrant’s willingness to rely upon assumptions which were not evidence-based and to take important decisions without consideration of the available evidence necessarily gives rise to concerns about future protection of members of the public.

“In this respect, the committee’s decision to remove the registrant from the register is proportionate to its responsibility to protect members of the public and is also in the public interest.”

A spokesperson for Vale of Glamorgan Council said: “The council agrees with the decision of the conduct committee in this case. Mr Swan was dismissed by the council and we are pleased that his professional body has echoed our decision.”

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