A assist employee has been reprimanded for taking an image of a susceptible service person’s backside – which was then by chance uploaded on-line.
Home carer Heather Thomson denied taking the picture and as an alternative blamed the service person, however that was refuted by Scotland’s care watchdog.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) discovered Thomson’s health to practise impaired and has handed her a 12-month warning on her registration.
In a written ruling printed this month, the SSSC mentioned that Thomson did not intend to trigger hurt – however the service person then mistakenly uploaded the image to a social media platform, which allowed others to have the ability to view the picture.
“This then caused extreme emotional and psychological distress to [the service user],” it mentioned.
The incident occurred in November 2020.
The SSSC mentioned Thomson took the image on the service person’s cell phone at their request.
The watchdog added: “As a social service worker you are expected to provide care to vulnerable service users, however by taking a picture of [the service user’s] bottom on [their] phone you breached that trust and confidence placed on you.
“Although [the service user] did request so that you can take the image it might have been cheap to count on that you’d recognise the vulnerability of [the service user] and use your skilled working relationship with [them] to elucidate why taking the image wouldn’t be acceptable.
“You have failed to adhere to professional boundaries that are put in place to protect service users from any unnecessary risk of harm.”
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The SSSC warned there stays a “risk of repetition”, noting: “You have shown very little insight, regret, or remorse for your behaviour.
“You have denied taking the image on behalf of [the service user] and as an alternative suggested that it was [the service user] who had taken the image.”
As well as the warning, which came into effect on Saturday, Thomson has been ordered to provide a reflective account of her misconduct to the SSSC.
She will also have to undergo additional learning, which will include how to help safeguard adults with limited mental capacity “who might want to use social media in a means that might doubtlessly be dangerous to them”.
Source: information.sky.com”