A Kirkcaldy nursery worker has been banned from the profession after locking a vulnerable boy in a shed.
Lewis Townsend shut the child into a nursery garden shed in the Fife town for around four minutes on June 30 2022.
Last July, Townsend was convicted in Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court of wilful ill-treatment “likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury”.
Now the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has removed Townsend from the register for day care workers.
Kirkcaldy carer created ‘risk of injury’
Townsend was three months into the post when the incident happened.
The SSSC found there was a “risk of injury” if one of the items in the shed had fallen on the boy.
The watchdog said the former carer’s actions put the vulnerable child, who had additional needs, at a significant risk of harm.
Its report said: “Your actions appear to have been motivated by the difficulty you were experiencing supporting the child’s needs and behaviours.
“However, instead of getting assistance from a colleague you chose to lock the child in the shed, putting your own needs above the wellbeing and safety of the child.
“Your actions amount to a fundamental failing and question your suitability to work in the social services profession.”
SSSC – locking child in shed showed ‘lack of understanding’
Townsend, who had been employed in similar roles in the previous two years “without concerns”, claimed he put the child in the shed for their own safety.
He also “expressed regret and remorse” for his actions at the Kirkcaldy nursery, which was not named in the report.
But the SSSC said he showed a “fundamental lack of understanding of the role and responsibilities of a registered social service worker.”
It added: “The SSSC considers a removal order is the most appropriate sanction.
“It is both necessary and justified in the public interest and to maintain the continuing trust and confidence in the social service profession and the SSSC as the regulator of the profession.”
