Oxford Social Worker faces Conditions of Registration

I pose this question - Is this pandemic of Social Workers up and down the United Kingdom?  How many more families need to stand up and fight their corner before the Government make changes?

Ms Geraldine Morgan

During the course of your employment as a Social Worker at Oxfordshire County Council 

1. While working at a co-ordinator level you did not: a. manage your caseload despite reasonable adjustments being made; 

b) work autonomously; 

c) meet your competence objectives in that you did not complete;
i. 3 assessments;
ii. 4 reviews;
iii. 2 assessment write-ups;
iv. 8 cases with follow-up actions. 

d) between June and October 2011, meet your target of completing one assessment and two reviews per week. 

2. On 22 February 2011 you received a phone call from the spouse of Service User A and you: a. did not document the call until 01 March 2011, which resulted in a delay before service user B not being placed on the waiting list; 

b) did not fully complete a routing slip. 

3. On 24 February 2011 you received a referral about Service User A and you: a. did not accurately assess the risk to Service User A; 

b) prioritised the referral as "Social Work Amber"; 

c) did not properly complete a routing slip; and / or 

d) did not consult colleagues to assess the urgency and / or risk. 

4. On 26 September 2011 without any good reason you did not attend an appointment with Service User B's spouse.

5. You did not complete a capacity assessment of Service User B's mental capacity form prior to attending a best interest meeting. 

6. Your actions at paragraphs 1 - 5 constitute a lack of competence and / or misconduct. 

7. By reason of this lack of competence and / or misconduct your fitness to practise is impaired 

The HCPC found

14. The case was too serious for the Panel to take no further action on the expiry of the existing Order. Mediation was not relevant.

15. The Panel considered that Caution Order would not provide any protection for the public because a caution order would not restrict the Registrant’s ability to practise.

16. The Panel carefully considered whether a Conditions of Practice would be appropriate and was satisfied that it would be possible to formulate conditions that would safeguard service users whilst giving the Registrant the opportunity to demonstrate that she had learned from her past mistakes and remediated her practice. The Panel imposes a Conditions of Practice Order for a period of 18 months.

17. This Order will be reviewed before it expires. At the review of this order, the review Panel is likely to be assisted by a report from both her work supervisor and her mentor, and by references and testimonials from any employer by whom the Registrant has been employed since the date of this Order.