A domiciliary care worker from Rhondda Cynon Taf has been removed from the Register of Social Care Workers after a Social Care Wales hearing found his fitness to practise was currently impaired because of serious misconduct.
Jimi Sherrard was working as a support worker for a service supporting vulnerable individuals, when a young person supported by the service accused him of inappropriately calling her and sending her inappropriate text messages.
The hearing was told that Mr Sherrard repeatedly called and texted the vulnerable young person on 27 and 28 June 2020, and on more than one occasion made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature.
The hearing was told that Mr Sherrard inappropriately gave the young person his personal phone number and contacted her without reason when he was no longer formally supporting her. He also failed to tell his employer that he was continuing to contact the young person.
After considering the evidence, the panel decided that Mr Sherrard’s fitness to practise was currently impaired because of his serious misconduct.
Explaining its decision, the panel said: “[Mr Sherrard] has not demonstrated significant insight into the fact that he harmed [the young person] and he has not expressed remorse.
“[This] would be the starting point for any consideration of whether he had remedied his impairment in the period since June last year. We find that there is no evidence of remediation...”
The panel continued: “Public confidence would be undermined were [a finding of impairment] not made in a case in which a social care worker has sought to form an inappropriate relationship with a vulnerable individual.”
The panel decided to remove Mr Sherrard from the Register, saying: “We have decided that a Removal Order is the only appropriate option given the seriousness of Mr Sherrard’s actions and his lack of insight and effective action to reduce the risk that he would act in the same way in the future.”
Mr Sherrard was not present at the three-day hearing, which was held over Zoom last week.