An Ayrshire care worker has been reprimanded for using coercive behaviour to try to obtain a meal from someone under their supervision.
Toyin Orr also intimated "worries" over money to the service user, complained about the tax they had to pay and discussed personal matters surrounding their second job as a cleaner.
The incidents took place in Ayr from April to June 2019, when Orr was employed by Ayrshire-based The Richmond Fellowship, which supports people to live as independently as possible in their own homes.
According to the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Orr "discussed" their financial situation with a supported person, known only as ‘AA’, told them their employer was "not giving them many shifts," informed the service user they were "worried about money," and “coerced” the same service user to buy them a meal by stating: “I will take you for a Chinese only if you buy my dinner too,” or words to that effect.
The SSSC said Orr’s fitness to practise was “impaired.”
The SSSC said to Orr: “You misused your position as a social service worker to make AA (a service user) buy you food.
“People who use services may feel compromised in their ability to object to something they are not comfortable with because of the power imbalance that often exists between them and social service workers.”
Orr, it was said, discussed "personal matters" with the service user, also saying they had “experienced racial abuse” and “would be attending court.”
This was while Orr was engaged in “personal telephone calls” on “multiple occasions” while supporting AA, making the service user feel “uncomfortable.”
The SSSC also said that when Orr’s behaviour came to light, Orr implied it would be the service user’s "fault" if they lost their job.
The SSSC said Orr had behaved in an “unprofessional manner.”
Orr, though, was experiencing “difficult personal circumstances” when the behaviour occurred and the behaviour appeared to have resulted from “poor judgement” rather than “malicious intent,” according to the SSSC.
The SSSC said Orr had shown “insight and regret” into their behaviour and during two periods of registration with the SSSC there had been “no concerns” about their previous practice.
The report also noted that Orr has not worked in social care since the behaviour came to light.
Orr was handed a warning to be placed upon their registration for nine months.
The SSSC added: “The public would expect the SSSC to find that your (Orr’s) fitness to practise is impaired and to mark that conduct of this nature is unacceptable. It is likely that this behaviour would damage the reputation of the profession should no action be taken.”
Ayrshire Live contacted the SSSC to confirm whether Orr was a male care worker, or female, but they refused our request for clarification.
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