Social worker struck off for ecstasy outrage

She allowed a child of 13 access to drug

A SENIOR social worker who let a 13-year-old have the drug ecstasy has been struck off.

Miranda Pahnke, 28, admitted culpably and recklessly allowing the teenager to come into contact with the drug when she appeared in court in May.

Now the Scottish Social Services Council have banned her from working in social care.

Pahnke was employed as a relief senior social care worker by Orkney Islands Council at the time of the offence in April.

The child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, consumed the drug, which the care watchdog says exposed them to injury.

A decision notice by the SSSC said: “The public has the right to expect social service workers uphold the law and do not engage in offending behaviour.

“By allowing a 13-year-old child to have access to a powdered substance which you believed to contain MDMA, a Class A drug, you placed the child at an acute risk of harm to their health and wellbeing.

“This represents a disregard for the law and the safety of a vulnerable child which calls into question your suitability to work in social services and to be registered with the SSSC.

“The allegation is at the higher end of the scale of serious behaviours. You have culpably and recklessly allowed a child in your care access to drugs.

“It is behaviour which violates a fundamental tenet of the profession and is incompatible with registration.”

The notice referred to Pahnke’s previous record being incident-free but added: “The behaviour that led to your conviction is recent behaviour and you have failed to engage with the SSSC’s investigation.

“As such there is little insight or reassurance that this behaviour is unlikely to be repeated.”

Pahnke was given a community payback order at Kirkwall Sheriff Court and ordered to carry out 60 hours of unpaid work.

A council spokesman said: “This event occurred outside the workplace and there was no risk to service users. The worker was suspended as soon as the allegation came to light and no longer works for Orkney Islands Council.”