Glasgow youth worker held cushion over teen's face and threatened to hit him

A youth worker from Glasgow has been from working in the sector after he was found to have held a cushion over the face of a teenager.

Paul Clarke has been struck off after he was convicted at Lanark Sheriff Court of pressing a cushion onto a 14-year-old’s face in July 2020.

The incident took place while Clarke was employed as a therapeutic support worker by Common Thread Group.

A report by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) found that Clarke had deliberately placed a cushion over the vulnerable young person’s face causing his breathing to become restricted.

They said the consequences of his actions “could have been disastrous”.

The incident unfolded after the boy began displaying “heightened” behaviour and Clarke had been asked to assist by a colleague who was concerned about his sexually inappropriate behaviour.

During the process of placing the teenager in a ‘safe hold’, Clarke was found to have subjected the boy to a barrage of demeaning and abusive comments and threatened to hit him.

The worker’s behaviour was described as “the most serious kind and fell far below the standard expected of a social service worker.”

A report by the SSSC found that he had failed to treat the boy with dignity and respect and that his communication throughout the incident was “wholly inappropriate”.

It was concluded that Clarke had acted in an aggressive manner and lost self-control.

Clarke was struck off the register by the panel who described his fitness to practise as impaired.