A VULNERABLE adult was ‘terrified’ of Monmouthshire care workers, a Care Council for Wales hearing was told.
Alan Ralph Kalawsky, a qualified social worker formerly employed by Monmouthshire County Council faces four allegations of misconduct. He was suspended by the council in February 2012.
The hearing, which took taking place in Cardiff in Kalawsky’s absence, was told that he was the disability service manager for the council and had a number of adult service centres under his management.
Kalawsky is accused of failing to investigate the conduct of a number of care workers under his management.
The allegations include that his investigations into a complaint by a service user in March 2010 were flawed and that he failed to investigate an incident in July 2010 when a service user known as BG complained that a care worker had threatened to burn his toy monkey.
Nerissa Williams, an investigation officer and managing director of Blue Turtle Consultants, hired to look into allegation of bullying among staff members, said it was ‘blatantly obvious’ that bullying of service users was apparent. She said BG, a male service user had learning difficulties and presented challenging issues to the staff .
The hearing heard that was told in July 2010 a social worker ridiculed BG by taking his toy monkey from him and threatened to burn it with a lighter in front of other care workers and service users. Ms Williams said this complaint was not investigated properly at the time by Kalawsky.
Ms Williams said: “For somebody with learning difficulties that is their comfort.
“You wouldn’t do that to a vulnerable adult. Who would do that?”
“And then to laugh and seem to be enjoying ridiculing this vulnerable gentleman. It is something which could leave him with some psychological damage.”
The hearing was told that BG, a service user had made complaints against social workers in November 2010 but that Kalawsky who was managing the service did not conduct an investigation until January 2011 and found no case to answer.
BG was said to be scared of two care workers and would not come out of a poly tunnel at one of the centres.
Ms Williams said: “The man was clearly terrified of these two individuals. That was apparent by telling LW, a senior care worker, he was frightened and he stayed in the poly tunnel in the garden centre.”
Kalawsky faces an allegation that he failed to investigate an incident from August 9, 2011, in which three female service users were made to clean the toilets of the centre.
Ms Williams told the hearing that a care worker had ridiculed the service users and ‘frog marched’ them down the corridor to clean the toilets.
Ms Williams said: “That was totally unacceptable. It is a clear violation of power imbalance between staff and vulnerable adults.
“It was bullying, horrifying and humiliating to treat vulnerable adults in that way.”
She told the hearing that Kalawsky had said to her that he was not looking for abuse during his investigations and that it ‘wasn’t presented to me in that way.’
Kalawsky is also alleged to have used a council mobile phone, an Olympus digital camera, a Nikon camera lens and an iPad for personal use.
The hearing was told that a number of items went missing at the centre including a laptop in 2010 and a number of kitchen items including a large meat slicer. It is alleged that Kalawsky didn’t properly investigate these incidents.
Proceeding.
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