A NURSERY employee who ‘roughly’ pulled on a child’s leg and yanked on another’s ear is allowed to keep her job.
Melody Copland got off with a warning, despite social services claiming she was a “physical and emotional risk to children”.
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Her behavior – which included forcing two youths into chairs and causing another to knock their chests off a table – was described as “serious,” the Daily Record reports.
Other incidents included pulling on a child’s leg while being put to bed and pulling on another’s ear when taking their temperature.
The 23-year-old, who worked as a pediatrician at the Great Western Pre-School in Aberdeen, was also found to have referred to a young person as “pain in the butt” while handing a coworker a tub of pudding.
And she told a co-worker that she was “fed up” with another child in her care because “she’s always crying.”
The Scottish Social Services Council also stated that Copland had said “I wish the parents would just pick them up and take them home”, and “I can’t hang out with him today, I don’t want anything to do with him.”
Copland admitted to forcefully pushing a chair causing a child to fall on the chest, but claimed it was an accident.
She denied all other allegations.
However, the SSSC found sufficient evidence to prove that everything had taken place between January and May 2021 and ruled that it had put the children at risk of abuse.
The watchdog told Copland: “Your behavior is serious and had the risk of harming the children in an environment where they should have felt safe.
“Your behavior shows disregard for the safety and well-being of the children.
“Speaking inappropriately to a colleague is unprofessional behavior and falls below the level expected from emergency personnel.
“Your behavior may indicate an underlying values issue, as your behavior reflects your frustration and impatience with the children in your care.
“Your behavior indicates that you have not cared for the children in the compassionate manner required by social service.”
‘UNacceptable behaviour’
They added that Copland had “breached the trust” of the children she had to care for by her “crude treatment”.
And the repeated incidents indicated “a pattern of unacceptable behavior”.
“Given the potential for physical and emotional harm to the children, your behavior is serious and would be considered a failure to provide an acceptable level of care,” they continued.
“You have not shown any insight, regret or regret.
“Given the lack of reflection or understanding of your behavior and concerns about your attitude, without any protective measures, this indicates a high risk of recurrence.
“Any repetition of the behavior would put children at risk for physical and emotional harm.
“A reasonable member of the public would be shocked and dismayed to hear of the behavior and realize that nothing has been done to prevent them from being repeated.”
Copland, who has been working for the SSSC for five years with no previous history, was given a one-year warning and must remain under her employer’s supervision for nine months.
She must also undergo additional training.