Inverness care worker punished by Scottish Social Services Council for “sexualised” chat with vulnerable person, faked expenses and taking them home to do “exploitative” DIY improvements
A shamed care worker in Inverness has been sanctioned after using “sexualised” language towards a vulnerable person.
Gary Rollason also persuaded the person in his care to come to his house to decorate and build shelves, then tried to hide the “exploitative” behaviour from his employers.
Rollason was working for charity Thera (Scotland) at the time of the incidents in 2023 and, possibly, 2024.
He was suspended during a probe by his employers and has since been sacked.
Following an investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), he has been given a warning that will remain on his social services employment record for the next three years.
Rollason was found to have placed his victim at “risk of emotional harm” and also carried out acts of dishonesty, twice submitting timesheets for payments on days he didn’t work and once submitting an “excessive” mileage claim for a day he did not travel.
The SSSC findings showed that Rollason, on or around July 6, 2023, exploited his position as support worker for the person - denoted as AA in the report - taking them to his home “to
build shelves” for his property, outwith normal care hours.
He then asked AA not to disclose what happened to Thera (Scotland), acting “dishonestly” in seeking to conceal his actions from his employer.
Then, on a date unknown in the following year, Rollason, seeing AA shake hands with a member of the public, made a vile sexualised comment, adding: ‘Never wash your hands’.
Between July 3 and 23 that year Rollason submitted the false claims for work hours and expenses.
Setting out the reasons for ruling that Rollason’s fitness to practise was impaired, the report stated: “You took advantage of a supported person in that you persuaded them to undertake home decoration projects which presented a financial gain for you.
“This took place outside of the normal supported visits.
“You further persuaded the supported person not to disclose the additional visit. You actively
attempted to conceal your behaviour from your employers.
“You also attempted to claim mileage and working hours for the visits the supported person made to carry out this work.
“Your behaviour calls into question your honesty and integrity, which are fundamental values of those who work within the profession.
“Social care workers should also treat supported people with respect and communicate with them in an appropriate manner.
“You made comments to the supported person that had sexualised overtones and were disrespectful both to the supported person and a member of the public.
“Your behaviour falls far below the professional standards expected of social service workers and is serious in nature.
“You gained financially from your behaviour and you placed a supported person at risk of emotional harm. Your actions show a deliberate pattern of dishonesty.
“Dishonest behaviour is particularly serious as it calls into question your values and your suitability to work with the sector.
“Those who are supported by social care workers, their families, social care employers and the public must be able to rely on the honesty and integrity of workers.”
The report said Rollason had apologised for his behaviour and shown “some insight” into his actions, admitting they amounted to exploitation.
He claimed that the supported person enjoyed the home improvement work and that he was attempting to help encourage them to undertake more projects.
Rollason had worked within the social care sector since 2019 without any prior concerns and had engaged in the SSSC’s investigation
But the report added: “The reputation of the profession could be damaged if no action was taken to underline that such dishonesty falls below the standards expected of social care workers, and is unacceptable.”
A spokesman for Thera Scotland said: “As soon as we discovered his actions, we reported the matter to The Scottish Social Services Council.
“He was suspended while we investigated the matter and subsequently dismissed.”