Home Care workers all must have CRB checks done before working with vulnerable people but the system is not watertight.
A Care Worker in Leicestershire called Maxine Singh was allowed to work with the elderly despite having 33 previous convictions.
Maxine Singh pleaded guilty to stealing from a 71-year-old father, her conviction was a suspended sentence which makes you wonder what her convictions have been to spare her a jail sentence for what some would see as a serious offence.
It was the diligence of the son, who had to put a hidden camera in the house to prove the theft, that cause Maxine Singh to be caught.
People need to be aware that the fact that a person has been CRB checked by their employer does not mean that they have no criminal convictions.
The agency, Home Call, were working on behalf of the council and claimed to have checked Maxine Singh using the CRB process. Any employer has discretion, if the person is not barred on the Vetting and Barring list to work with Adults, to still employ someone no matter what the person’s history is.
In this case, common sense seems to indicate that the employer should not have used this carer to work with vulnerable people given the sheer number of convictions, though we do not know what they were for or how long in the past they were.
Leicestershire County Council are no longer using the services of Home Call which is good news for residents in Leicestershire.
Everycare do take every precaution to ensure that people we employ do not put any of our clients at risk. We do CRB all our staff and do references before employment.
Anyone using the services of any outside agency should immediately inform the agency if they are suspicious in anyway of someone who comes into their home.