A Wishaw social care worker has received a formal warning from the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) after threatening a resident in his care.
Ifeyinwa Oraukwu, a support worker, was given the warning at a SSSC hearing. The sanction will remain on his registration for 12 months.
Incident and impact
In May 2024, while employed as a support worker, Oraukwu threatened a resident, referred to as AA, stating: “if you don’t stop complaining about us then you will have your cigarette breaks taken away.” The threat caused the resident to become distressed.
The SSSC report stated: “You must promote the views, wishes and choices of individuals and communicate in a respectful and accurate way. You (Oraukwu) communicated in a threatening manner, in that you told a resident their cigarettes would be restricted if they did not stop complaining about staff. You misused your position to manage the behaviour and choices of a resident, who had the right to share her views and concerns regarding the standard of care they were receiving. Your actions demonstrated a lack of respect for AA and fell short of the standard of care expected of social service workers. Your behaviour caused distress.”
Risk of repetition
The regulator noted that despite the incident being isolated, Oraukwu showed only limited insight, leading to a conclusion that there is a risk of similar behaviour being repeated. The report found the behaviour was deliberate, uncaring, and unkind, using a threat to prevent a service user from expressing views.
Mitigating factors
Factors in Oraukwu's favour included no previous findings of impaired fitness to practise, continued work in the sector with no further concerns, and engagement with the SSSC investigation.
The report concluded: “You have continued to work in the sector, and this has been the first concern reported to the SSSC in your two-year career in the sector. As a result, there are no ongoing public protection concerns, however, your behaviour jeopardises the confidence in the reputation of the profession and there is a need to uphold proper standards of conduct and behaviour.”
