Ex-Blaenau Gwent social worker’s misconduct hearing (From South Wales Argus)

Ex-Blaenau Gwent social worker’s misconduct hearing

4:20pm Friday 15th March 2013 in News

A FORMER social worker faces allegations of misconduct for not adequately assessing the risk to two children, a hearing heard yesterday.

Debbie Bowden, who had 15 years’ experience in social care before she joined Blaenau Gwent council’s children’s services department in December 2004, was summarily dismissed from her job in September last year.

A Care Council of Wales conduct committee hearing in Cardiff yesterday heard that between June 2010 and February 2011, she did not record dates of visits to the parents of a child known only as ‘Child A’, prior to the child’s birth.

It was said she did not provide an adequate chronology of the child’s father’s history; did not adequately liaise with other agencies to get information for a risk assessment; referred to reports without obtaining them; and said the child’s mother was not known to social services and had a stable background, which was not the case.

In relation to a second child, known as ‘Child B’, it is alleged that between November 2010 and February 2011, she did not adequately record conversations with other professionals as part of the child’s pre-birth assessment, and did not carry out or record police checks on all members of the child’s family before the child left hospital. It was said she claimed to have met Child B’s paternal grandmother four times when she had not.

Ms Bowden, who had knee pain, went on planned sickness leave in February 2011 and concerns about the cases came to light, said Care Council solicitor David Mortimer.

The hearing, which Ms Bowden did not attend yesterday, is due to conclude today.