Barry social worker banned for 'inappropriate relationship'

Ms Bagnall was supporting a couple after they fostered a child

A social worker who had an "inappropriate relationship" with a foster father has been struck off.

Lucy Bagnall, 32, sent naked photos of herself posing as a "seductress" behind a shower curtain and had "intimate" chats on Facebook and Skype, a misconduct hearing was told.

She was the supervising social worker last year when the couple fostered.

Ms Bagnall, of Barry, was removed from the register after a Cardiff fitness to practice hearing.

The misconduct panel heard that after knowing the man a few weeks, Ms Bagnall started sharing phone calls lasting up to eight hours.

She was reported by his partner, who discovered intimate messages on his iPad, the hearing was told.

One read: "I love you" and another said: "You are literally the best friend ever, you came into my life from nowhere and that's the work of God."

Ms Bagnall had been employed by Compass Fostering in Cardiff on a three-month contract.

Extent and intimacy

Head of fostering Kerry Kane said Ms Bagnall had been told to keep a professional working relationship and not to befriend foster parents on social media.

However, Ms Kane told the hearing that the man's partner was "completely surprised to see communications and images" and had not understood "the extent and intimacy of it".

Messages were described as frequent and took place between the early hours of the morning and late at night.

Ms Bagnall was also accused of failing to raise concerns about the foster father allowing the child to watch "scary" Chucky films.

While she did not attend and was not represented, she said she saw him as a "friend" not a client - leading her to lose focus of her role as a social worker.

At the hearing, chairman Islwyn Jones said: "On the evidence before us, only a removal order would be adequate in Bagnall's case. We do not consider that there was any other way to protect the public."