Social worker, 25, 'exploited' teenage boy in her care and invited him round for sex

13 June 2022, 21:00

A 25-year-old social worker "exploited" a teenage boy in her care and invited him into her home for sex multiple times, a tribunal has found.

Jade Davies, a social worker in North Wales, invited the boy - known as Child A - into her home on several occasions, developing an "inappropriate relationship" with the teenager.

A four-day hearing by Social Care Wales heard that Ms Davies developed a relationship with the youth, who cannot be named, for over a year.

Ms Davies , employed by Keys Group as a residential child care worker “failed to maintain an appropriate professional boundary” with the boy.

She would secretly text the boy outside of work and would regularly ask him to delete evidence of their communication, it was heard.

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Allegations that Ms Davies allowed the boy to enter her home on more than one occasion, engaged in sexual activity with him on several occasions and asked him to delete evidence of their communications from a mobile phone were all found proved by the fitness to practice panel.

The panel heard that Ms Davies even feared she might have fallen pregnant after having sex with the youngster.

She then ordered him to delete evidence from his phone after their "relationship" - which developed from 2017 to 2018 - was uncovered.

She was quizzed by police over allegations of sexual activity with a child and perverting the course of justice.

The boy did not want to make a complaint, meaning prosecutors did not pursue charges, the panel heard.

Lorna Savidge, chair of the panel, said Ms Davies had “exploited Child A and abused their trust”, putting the teenager at “unnecessary risk".

She added: "The reality is that we are concerned with what appears to be a pattern of deplorable practice."

Ms Davies did not attend the remote hearing and was not represented.

The panel heard that Ms Davies had not cooperated with the Social Care Wales investigation and had not been in contact with them since August, 2018.

She was said to have provided no explanation for her behaviour and told a police interview in January, 2019, that what had happened “was not her fault".

Aliyah Hussain, presenting the case on behalf of Social Care Wales, said the sole mitigating factor was the fact Ms Davies had not previously been involved in disciplinary action since taking up a carer’s role. But she said there were a number of aggravating factors such as her lack of apparent remorse, failure to cooperate with Social Care Wales’ investigation and “serious disregard for the Social Care Wales code of practice".

Ms Davies was banned from the social care register after the panel found her conduct fell "significantly short" of what was expected.

She has 28 days to appeal the order.