Wrexham carer who urinated on child's toothbrush struck off

Rebecca Spencer worked at a care home providing therapeutic services for 11 to 18-year-olds

A carer who urinated on a child's toothbrush has been struck off.

Rebecca Spencer, from Wrexham, was removed from the register of social care workers following the conclusion of a fitness to practise hearing.

The Social Care Wales panel said Ms Spencer's conduct had been "unquestionably deplorable".

Ms Spencer took photographs of young people in her care without their consent and sent the pictures on with inappropriate comments.

The panel heard Ms Spencer had also told another person she used recreational drugs, shared confidential information about the young people in her care and acted in an abusive way towards them.

• Carer urinated on child's toothbrush, panel finds

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Ms Spencer's misconduct took place between January and February 2020 at a home in Denbighshire, which provides therapeutic services for 11 to 18-year-olds.

In a statement, the panel said: "The proven misconduct is unquestionably deplorable, given that it involves multiple acts of humiliating and degrading abuse perpetrated against vulnerable young people, who you referred to in the vilest of terms in messages.

"In your messages, you further humiliated and degraded the young people in the way you spoke about them.

"You named them, sent pictures of them, and in one instance sent [another person] a photograph of a young person's care plan."

The hearing also heard Ms Spencer had failed to inform Social Care Wales she had been dismissed from a previous job.

The panel added: "Dishonesty, particularly when associated with professional practice, is so damaging to a registered person's suitability and to public confidence in social care services that removal may be the only appropriate disposal."