The College alleged that the Registrant, a registered social worker, engaged in professional misconduct by making an unsolicited phone call to the estranged spouse of a potential client during a high-conflict separation involving intimate partner violence (IPV) allegations.
The Discipline Committee found that the Registrant failed to conduct appropriate risk screening, initiated contact without consent, and made inappropriate comments minimizing the IPV allegations while urging reconciliation.
The Panel accepted expert evidence that the Registrant's conduct fell below the standards of a reasonably prudent social worker.
The Registrant was found to have engaged in professional misconduct on all four allegations, with his conduct deemed dishonourable and unprofessional.