Happiness is a Warm Gun

February 25, 2015 permalink

British social worker James John Gurie knows how to provide warm and loving care to children. He brings guns to work. Music for this article (mp3).

expand

collapse

Social worker struck off for taking guns into Monmouthshire child care home

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

REGISTERED residential child care worker has been struck off after taking guns into a Monmouthshire home and letting two young people fire them.

James John Gurie’s removal from the Register of Social Care Workers means he will no longer be able to work as a residential child care worker in Wales.

A Care Council conduct committee found Mr Gurie guilty of misconduct after he had failed to protect the welfare and safety of residents and colleagues at the residential child care home where he worked. All the charges related to an incident in March 2014 when Mr Gurie took two firearms to work and allowed two young people to fire them in the grounds and area surrounding the residential care home.

Mr Gurie, a team leader at the care home which has not been named, was not present at the hearing held in Cardiff.

The conduct committee found that the registrant’s conduct, by allowing young people in his care to use firearms in the grounds of the home, at times without supervision, was “wholly inappropriate and unacceptable”.

In reaching its decision, the conduct committee took into account that the young people were very vulnerable, with complex needs, and that one of them presented a significant risk to himself and others.

The Committee found Mr Gurie’s conduct called into question his suitability to remain on the Register and fell short of the standards set out in the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers.

It was decided that the registrant had breached parts of all but one of the Code’s standards. These included the need to ensure the behaviour of individuals did not harm themselves or others and upholding public trust and confidence in social care services.

In deciding on a sanction, the committee took into account that Mr Gurie had co-operated with the Care Council to a certain extent and that the incident was isolated, with the registrant having no previous record of misconduct.

However, the committee believed Mr Gurie had abused the trust of the care home manager and that of the young people; his conduct posed significant risk to the young people and others at the home, and he had shown serious disregard for the Code of Practice.

Chair of the committee, James Crowe, said: “The registrant showed a serious departure from the relevant professional standards set out in the Code of Practice for Social Care Workers.

“The registrant’s conduct could have resulted in serious harm to the young persons involved and potentially to others. The Committee also finds that the registrant abused his position and the trust that had been placed in him in relation to supporting vulnerable service users.

“The Committee concluded that a Removal Order is the proportionate sanction in the light of the seriousness of the misconduct.”

Source: Monmouthshire Beacon