A residential child care worker from Swansea has been removed from the Register of Social Care Workers after a Social Care Wales hearing found her fitness to practise is currently impaired because of serious misconduct.
Kayleigh Elkins was accused of continuing to have contact with a young person, who had been looked after by the children’s home where she worked as a deputy manager, after the young person left the home.
The hearing was told that the young person was a friend of Ms Elkins’s daughter and that in March 2020, Ms Elkins inappropriately took the young person and her daughter on an overnight visit to Manchester, despite having been clearly told by her managers not to go.
The hearing was also told that Ms Elkins dishonestly failed to tell her employer that she had been arrested for assault in May 2020. Ms Elkins only admitted to the arrest once she was confronted about it by her employer two weeks later.
Ms Elkins was not present at the two-day hearing, which was held over Zoom on 3 to 4 August 2021.
After considering the evidence, the panel found that Ms Elkins’s fitness to practise was currently impaired because of serious misconduct.
Explaining its decision, the panel said: “We have found that Ms Elkins dishonestly failed to tell her employer of her arrest on suspicion of an offence of violence.
“She also went against the advice of her managers in continuing her relationship with [the young person]. She indicated to her employer during her disciplinary interview that she was determined to continue to act against advice so far as [the young person] was concerned.
“This statement of an intention to continue a relationship, which had put her job and professional registration at risk, strongly suggests that there is a risk of future misconduct.”
The panel continued: “It is frustrating that [Ms Elkins] has not engaged [in this process] because this leaves us with no means to judge whether she has since tried to put things right, has reflected on her practice or is motivated to do so in the future.”
The panel decided to remove Ms Elkins from the Register, saying: “We make it plain that it is regrettable that it has come to this. By becoming registered, Ms Elkins took on a responsibility to engage with her regulator.
“We have reached this point because Ms Elkins’s lack of engagement has prevented the consideration of other disposals. A Removal Order is nonetheless appropriate given the seriousness.”