A RESIDENTIAL care worker caused mayhem at a children’s home after he turned up drunk and wrestled with staff and youngsters.
Martin Ross Phillips turned up while under the influence of alcohol at Craigellachie children’s home in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, in December 2010.
Mr Phillips punched and slapped a child, put a child in the home in a headlock, and sat on another staff member.
Despite the mayhem, Mr Phillips escaped being banned from the profession and was given a warning by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) which will stay on his record for four years.
He also kept his job with Wets Dunbartonshire Council, who gave Mr Phillips a final written warning.
Hurt
The SSSC said Mr Phillips’ behavior caused children at the home to join in with the “antics,” which happened on 17 December 2010 when Mr Phillips was not supposed to be on shift.
The Council said some of the children “were slightly hurt by the registrant’s actions and they were clearly annoyed and upset by the registrant’s comments and behaviour”.
Other children “appeared to find the registrant’s actions amusing, if somewhat unexpected for a worker, and they actively engaged with the registrant’s antics”, they added.
Mr Phillips also wrestled a colleague, named only as FD, to the ground, sat on her, and challenged her to sit on him.
The Council said he “was disrespectful towards his colleague FD by lifting up her legs, sitting on top of her and telling her to sit on top of him.”
Insulting
He also swore at a child and attempted to put her in a headlock, before saying she was “too fat” for this.
The Council, which refers to children as “service users”, said: “The registrant used derogatory and insulting language including swear words towards service user KC by saying to her “shut up ******” and stating to her “I smell *****”.
“The registrant also attempted to place service user KC in a headlock but failed stating that she was ‘too fat for this.'”
He then slapped a child named as CW on the head and put a child named as LM in a head lock.
Announcing their decision to issue Mr Phillips with a warning, the SSSC said he had a 20-year record which was previously unblemished.
Dignity
The SSSC said his actions “resulted in harm being caused to service users” and he did not “respect and maintain the dignity and privacy of service users.”
The warning will mean he has to tell any prospective employers there have been concerns about his conduct.
The sanction was imposed by the SSSC’s investigating officer without a public hearing.
He had also been given a Final Written Warning by his employer, West Dunbartonshire Council.
A council spokeswoman said: “The Council does not comment on matters relating to individual employees.”
