A Fraserburgh support worker has been slapped with a two-year warning after touching two colleagues inappropriately at work.
Zoe Paul, who was subject to an investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), was found to have grabbed the breasts of her female colleague without consent on August 12, 2024.
She then went on to touch the colleague on the bottom before also touching another colleague in the same area, and on August 15 was found to have squeezed a third colleague’s bottom without consent.
A day later on August 16, investigators found she encouraged a service user to tell her to “shut up” by telling them “what do we tell people who are annoying you?”
Ms Paul, registered in Fraserburgh with Cornerstone Community Care, was deemed to have impaired her fitness to practice by the SSSC panel, who have since handed down a 24-month warning on her registration.
The report from the SSSC states: “A social care worker should form open, positive relationships and maintain professional boundaries with individuals and colleagues that respect their dignity, wellbeing and safety. By inappropriately touching your colleagues without their consent, you have not maintained professional boundaries.
“You have disrespected your colleague’s expectations they can go to work and not be made to feel uncomfortable by another colleague’s behaviour towards them. While you may not have intentionally set out to make your colleagues feel this way, you have repeated this behaviour on several occasions, with no regard to how you might be making your colleagues feel.
“You have also encouraged an individual who uses services to say ‘shut up’ which is not professional. It is not dignified to encourage a person you support to communicate with you, or anyone else, in this manner.
“If that behaviour was to be repeated, the individual’s family may be concerned about the lack of respect shown to their family member.”
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The report continued: “Your behaviour is serious as it has caused your colleagues to feel uncomfortable in the workplace, and such behaviour risked causing more serious emotional harm. Although your actions do not appear to be sexually motivated, they were inappropriate, and you have failed to respect your colleagues.
“Your colleagues were of the view that, while they felt uncomfortable, your actions were intended as humour.”
The panel noted that the repeated incidents indicated a pattern of behaviour, and Ms Paul is said to have shown insight and regret during the investigation.
The report added: “Given the behaviour was repeated on at least three occasions, this indicates a pattern of behaviour. You have shown some insight and regret, acknowledging that your behaviour was wrong.
“You have provided a reference from your current manager, who employ you in a Page 3 of 4non-caring role, stating you get on well with staff. Your manager has known you for almost three years and states she has no concerns with your fitness to practise.
“This positive reference does lessen the risk of repetition, and it is considered that this employer will be capable of monitoring your future conduct in a role requiring SSSC registration. There is, however, a requirement to reaffirm standards of behaviour and to ensure public confidence in the SSSC as a regulator.”
Colin Phillips, Director of Delivery for Cornerstone said: “The health, wellbeing and safety of our colleagues and the people we support is an absolute priority for Cornerstone, and we take any allegations of inappropriate behaviour very seriously.
“As per our organisational policies, a thorough investigation was carried out and our internal procedures were followed. The person involved is no longer employed by Cornerstone.
“The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) were kept informed and upon conclusion of our investigation we reported the findings and outcomes to them.”