Social worker failed to maintain professional boundaries

A Palmerston North social worker who formed a personal relationship with the brother of a client has been found to have committed professional misconduct.

The Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal last week held a two-day hearing about former Oranga Tamariki social worker Kerry Burridge, who was facing charges of professional misconduct and conduct unbecoming of a social worker.

A decision later released from the tribunal’s chairperson Jo Hughson said it was found Burridge failed to maintain professional boundaries with the family of a client by between April and August in 2020.

It was found she entered into a close personal relationship with the brother of a client; allowed the man to use her cellphone as a contact number for probation services; and visited him at home after hours and in prison when she was off duty.

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Identifying details about the family are suppressed.

The tribunal was satisfied Burridge had failed to maintain professional boundaries and it was professional misconduct.

“It was conduct that amounted to serious breaches of the code of conduct and the commission of acts that, in the opinion of the tribunal, have brought or are likely to bring discredit to the social work profession … and discipline is warranted.”

The tribunal also found Burridge failed to adequately disclose the actual or potential conflicts of interest arising from the relationship she formed with the family, and had failed to take adequate steps to manage the conflict of interest arising from the relationship.

This was found to be professional misconduct “in that it involved conduct that amounted to serious breaches of the code of conduct and the commission of acts that, in the opinion of the tribunal, have brought or are likely to bring discredit to the social work profession”.

It had been alleged Burridge had failed to engage in regular professional supervision – face-to-face meetings that are a required part of the job – but the tribunal was not satisfied Burridge had failed to seek out appropriate supervision about the relationship and this was not professional misconduct.

The tribunal will now consider whether any penalty orders should be made.

Witnesses said Burridge had been a competent and caring social worker. But the supervision sessions that were a required part of her job had not occurred as often as required.

There were only a handful of times when Burridge and her supervisor had met between November 2019 and September 2020.

Burridge did not attend the hearing.