The manager of Angus Special Playscheme has received an official misconduct warning after disclosure failings in the hiring of staff.
Karen Kedward will have the warning on her registration for four years and six months after the Scottish Social Services Council issued the misconduct decision.
The playscheme provides school holiday cover at various venues in Angus, as well as a befriending service for young people and the council said her conduct could have put the vulnerable service users at risk.
The case involved Ms Kedward’s record keeping and the handling of management instruction from 2011 to September 2102.
It was found that she had failed to ensure PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) records or updates and two references were received for staff and volunteers prior to them taking up posts with the playscheme.
Ms Kedward then failed to alert the organisation’s directors or take action herself when she was told a staff member’s disclosure record had not been received prior to them starting work.
The hearing also found that Ms Kedward failed to follow a specific management instruction by not getting a reference from Barnardo’s prior to a named individual commencing employment.
The SSSC findings stated: “Children and vulnerable adults have the right to expect that the social service workers in whom they place their trust are managed and led in a way that ensures services are safe, effective and reliable.
“Her behaviour was negligent and a failure in her duty of care which placed vulnerable service users at risk of harm by allowing staff members who had not received the appropriate background and reference checks access to them.
“Employers have the right to expect that their employees will be honest and trustworthy and behave in a manner that does not bring the employer and the service into disrepute.
“By failing to ensure that she followed safe recruitment practices she breached the trust and confidence placed in her by her employer and put her employer/service at risk of harm from damage to their yreputation and business
The inquiry said that in Ms Kedward’s favour was her cooperation with the investigation, the fact that she had remained with the playscheme and there had been no further incidents and that she had undertaken training in relation to disclosure checks.
Playscheme chairman Melanie Ford said: “With the support and advice of Angus Council, Angus Special Playscheme undertook a thorough review of its management, policies and procedures, in light of the background checking failures of 2012, and robust controls are now in place to ensure strict compliance with our policies and procedures.”