Social worker in child sex gangs case must wait to learn her fate
ROCHDALE GROOMING: MISCONDUCT HEARING RUNS OUT OF TIME
A SOCIAL worker accused of failing victims of the Rochdale child sex gang faces an anxious wait after her hearing was adjourned.
Deborah MacQueen allegedly failed to safeguard the young victims of the gang and closed their cases prematurely.
Up to 11 vulnerable children were plied with alcohol, drugs and lavished with gifts before being ‘passed around’ for sex.
MacQueen is facing misconduct charges at the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service in London, but her hearing ran out of time and was adjourned to a later date.
The social worker faces a catalogue of allegations surrounding the 11 children as young as 13 from January 2005 to September 2011.
In total, nine men were convicted and jailed for 70 years in May 2012 with police believing their could have been up to 47 victims. The abuse took place at two takeaway restaurants by the men aged between 24 and 59. Ringleader Shabir Ahmed, now 64, was originally handed a 19-year sentence which was later upped to 22 years. A subsequent investigation was carried out by Rochdale Council to determine if proper protection procedures had been followed by its social workers. MacQueen – who was employed as manager within the council’s social work team – has admitted that she decided ‘child one’ was not at risk of continuing harm without considering her learning disability or her mother’s ability to protect her. She has admitted allowing the case to be closed without ensuring that specialist intervention was arranged for the vulnerable teen. MacQueen further admits allowing the cases of three other children – known only as ‘child Hannah Eales, for the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service two,’ ‘child five’ and ‘child eight’ – to be closed despite information that they were at risk of harm or sexual exploitation.
The social worker also acknowledges that she failed to undertake or organise an assessment of the risk posed by another child’s uncle and his son, whom the youngster was living with.
During the hearing, which began last week, Hannah Eales, for the HCPTS, said that as team manager MacQueen would have had ‘oversight’ of the failings.
“What I am going to suggest to you, that following a meeting in 2009, you should have taken action,” she said.
MacQueen replied: “I agree that I should have been more robust in ensuring that instructions were carried out and when that was not successful for whatever reason I should have highlighted it to the senior managers.”
The panel must decide if her actions constitute misconduct and incompetence, and whether her fitness to practise is impaired.
MacQueen denies failing to properly safeguard six children and that her errors in relation to five children amount to misconduct. She further denies her fitness to practise is impaired by reason of misconduct.