An Edinburgh social worker has been slapped with a stern warning after she allegedly accepted an £800 gift from a service user.
Rebecca Healey was brought before the Scottish Social Services Council last month following concerning reports while working as a Care Assistant at Call in Homecare Ltd.
Healey, on or around April 24 and May 1, 2023, accepted £800 as a monetary gift from user of services AA to cover a period of absence from work.
The social worker was given a 36-month warning was and found to have “breached the trust” of the employer, the user of services, their family and the public by accepting the gift.
The council added the incident caused “financial and emotional harm” to the service user.
The SSSC said: “Social service workers must be truthful, honest and trustworthy and must not behave, while inside or outside work, in a way which would bring their suitability to work in social services into question. Social service workers are trusted to protect the safety and welfare of people who use services.
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“The public have a right to expect that social service workers, in whom they place their trust and confidence, will follow policies and procedures to keep users of services safe and not behave in a way which calls in to question their values and character. Social service workers are expected to be reliable and dependable and not breach personal boundaries.
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“You breached the trust placed in you by your employer, the user of services, their family and the public at large by accepting a monetary gift from a person for whom you provide services.”
Call in Homecare Ltd has been approached for comment.