A VALE of Glamorgan council social worker who left confidential information about vulnerable children and their families at the home of a service user has been struck off.

Malcolm Whittaker, who was employed in the care management team of the Vale council's Children and Young Persons Service at the at the time of the incident, was found guilty of misconduct during a two-day Care Council for Wales hearing.

Mr Whittaker was accused of leaving behind his bag containing his work diary, other work-related documents and £40 cash belonging to the local authority during a joint home visit with a health visitor in December 2012.

He was also accused of failing to take any action to retrieve the bag, or inform a manager of a possible data protection breach, once he was made aware of his error.

In his witness statements presented to the Care Council, Mr Whittaker - who was dismissed from his role in May 2013 following an internal investigation - accepted that he’d left the bag following the visit, but claimed he was unsure if the diary which contained the sensitive information and money was in it.

He also disputed that he did little to retrieve the bag once made aware of his mistake, insisting that he had made arrangements for the service user to return it to him during a meeting being held two days after the incident.

He further argued that no policy or guidance about what to do in the event of a data protection breach had been made available to him by his employers.

However, the Committee found the facts of both charges proven in their entirety, drawing attention to the fact that Mr Whittaker had admitted on four separate occasions during the local authority’s own investigation that the diary, which contained information about 16 separate families, had been in the bag.

The Committee also found that, despite his claims, Mr Whittaker would have been made aware of his responsibilities by the job description and Data Protection Guidance provided to him on employment.

Having agreed that Mr Whittaker’s actions breached several sections of the code, the Committee found misconduct proven.

Committee Chair Islwyn Jones, said: “The committee considered the risk posed to individuals who use services due to the failure to keep their confidential information secure was significant.

“Only a removal order will be appropriate because of the registrant’s lack of insight, the period of time he has had to reflect on his conduct and his continued failure to accept any responsibility for his actions.”