A play worker has been given a warning for grabbing a child by the hood and pulling him up off the ground.
Jamie Scott also grabbed the youth’s arm, placed it across his chest and dragged him forward while he was working in Linlithgow in June last year.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has now placed an 18 month warning on his Day Care of Children Services registration.
The council said that while employed as a play worker in Linlithgow, and while young person - referred to in the report as AA - was lying on the floor, Scott used his hood to pull him to his feet. As a result of his actions the jumper to tightened around AA’s neck.
Furthermore the council said Scott also grabbed AA’s arm, placed it across his chest and dragged the boy towards Scott, adding his fitness to practise was impaired because his misconduct.
In its report the council said: “Your fitness to practise is impaired because social service workers must not abuse service users.
“You pulled AA to his feet by his hood, grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards you.
“Your behaviour was abusive and risked causing physical and emotional harm to AA. Some discomfort was caused to AA by pulling his hood, albeit not for a prolonged period and no injury was sustained.
“Nonetheless, your behaviour breached a fundamental tenet of the profession in that you did not treat AA in a caring and respectful manner and raises questions as to your suitability to work in care.”
“You were relatively inexperienced in the role but had been instructed to step back where you had difficulty managing a situation and get the assistance of another member of staff, and you did not do this.
“Your behaviour is moderately serious but it appears to have been a momentary lapse of judgement rather than a deliberate intent to harm AA.
“You have shown some insight insofar as you now acknowledge there was no immediate risk to AA when you handled him and that you dealt with the matter poorly. However, you have not worked in social services since the behaviour. Therefore, you have not been able to demonstrate that you would not repeat similar behaviour if you returned to this area of work.”
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