West Lothian support worker given warning for not reporting 'sexually explicit' conversation

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A West Lothian support worker has received a warning for putting one of her charges at “risk of emotional and physical harm”.The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found Samantha Mutter’s fitness to practise was impaired and imposed a warning that will stay on her registration for three years, along with conditions.The watchdog found that sometime between November 19, 2021 and January 19, 2022, whilst employed as a support worker in relation to an unknown female who was a user of services at risk of sexual exploitation, Mutter failed to record details of a conversation she overheard between the female and her friend which was sexually explicit in nature regarding a man who the female and her friend knew.Livingston worker Mutter failed to inform a manager of the conversation until January 2022.The SSSC decided her fitness to practise was impaired because social service workers must be reliable and dependable and they must take necessary steps to reduce the risks of people who use services harming themselves and they must not neglect them.The council also said that workers must keep to their employer’s health and safety policies and meet relevant standards of practice and work in a lawful, safe and effective way.

They must maintain clear, accurate and up-to-date records in line with procedures relating to their work.The female under Mutter’s care - referred to in the report as AA - was assessed as a person who is vulnerable to sexual exploitation by others.The SSSC report said: “By failing to immediately alert your manager to the conversation between AA and a female friend, about a male familiar to them both, where explicit sexual content was evident, you placed AA at risk of emotional and physical harm.“Your failure