A child care worker from Inverness has been struck off after embezzling more than £1,600 from a service user.
Daniel MacLeod was convicted at Inverness Sheriff Court of pocketing the money.
Now the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has struck off Mr MacLeod following their own disciplinary hearings.
‘An abuse of trust’
Residential child care worker Mr MacLeod was convicted of embezzling £1672.75 by fraud following an Inverness Sheriff Court hearing in October last year.
Documents from the SSSC say on or around November 8 and November 22 in 2019 he pretended that he had carried out support work for a service user, identified as AA.
He submitted fake invoices to pretend he had done the work.
Following a disciplinary hearing, the SSSC ruled his fitness to practise had been impaired, adding that his conviction displayed a “deep-seated attitudinal issue incompatible with the social care sector”.
The SSSC report said Mr MacLeod had not demonstrated “any insight or regret” and he had not engaged with the council’s own investigation.
The decision notice added: “Your criminal conviction for fraud demonstrates that you have a significant disregard for the law.
“You have shown that you are prepared to act in a dishonest manner that breaches the trust placed in you to carry out caring duties.
“Theft from a service provider or employer can have a significant impact on the availability of funds and resources for other vulnerable service users or services.
“You have abused the trust placed in you by a service provider and the SSSC. Your actions are fundamentally incompatible with professional registration.”
The SSSC report said there were “no factors” in favour of Mr MacLeod.
