A support worker has been rebuked for breaking an egg over a child’s head.
Doreen Gielty claimed the incident was a “prank” and denied having intentionally harmed the child.
However, Scotland’s care watchdog did not accept that the actions were a joke due to Ms Gielty admitting that she felt unable to manage the child’s “challenging” behaviour.
The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) ruled: “Your actions placed a very vulnerable child at a significant risk of emotional harm which raises concerns regarding your fitness to practise as a social service worker given that your role involves caring for vulnerable service users and protecting them from harm.”
The Midlothian carer was also reprimanded for failing to report the incident for three days.
The watchdog stated that although the child was not a service user which required SSSC registration, Ms Gielty was responsible for their “care, safety and wellbeing” at the time of the incident.
Her actions also reportedly had an impact on another person in her care who witnessed the incident and expressed anger at what she had done.
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The incident happened in November 2017, prior to Ms Gielty’s current period of registration.
Before that, the SSSC noted that Gielty was registered between 2007 and 2010 with no concerns raised about her conduct.
The watchdog added that she has worked in her current job for almost five years and has been described by her employer as “honest and compassionate”.
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Issuing a warning, the SSSC stated: “While you were not registered at the time of the behaviour, the public should be able to expect that those registered to support some of the most vulnerable people in our society would not humiliate, or emotionally harm a child… either within or outwith their role as a social service worker.
“There is a need in this case to mark your behaviour as unacceptable.”
The 12-month warning on Ms Gielty’s registration came into effect on Thursday.
