Flintshire child care worker struck off for grabbing young person's throat

A child care worker from Flintshire has been struck off for grabbing a vulnerable young person by the throat.

Ryan Howells had been suspended since 2018 after using disproportionate force at an organisation in Holywell.

A Social Care Wales panel also heard Mr Howells spoke inappropriately to a colleague and used his mobile at work to show an image to the young person.

The panel has removed him from the Register of Social Care Workers for "deplorable" serious misconduct.

It concluded Mr Howells's fitness to practise was currently impaired, following the 2018 incident at Options Kinsale, an organisation that provides residential care for children and young people with complex needs, including those with autism.

'Significant risk'

"We consider that Mr Howells's overall conduct, namely the use of his personal mobile phone, swearing at a colleague in the presence of service users and causing harm to [the young person] by carrying out an inappropriate restraint can be properly characterised as deplorable," the panel said.

It added Mr Howells had shown no remorse for his actions, had not made any attempt to change his behaviour or shown any empathy to the young person involved.

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"Mr Howells does not recognise that there has been any wrongdoing on his part and has displayed a complete lack of insight regarding his conduct," the panel said.

"He has not sought to remedy his behaviour following the instigation of Social Care Wales proceedings and we have not been provided with any evidence of reflection or lessons learned.

"In the absence of any remedial steps, insight, remorse or engagement by Mr Howells, we consider there is a significant risk of repetition in relation to his conduct."

The panel added it saw no alternative way to "protect the public".

Mr Howells was not present at the three-day remote hearing, which was held over Zoom last week.