A SALINE nursery worker who pushed a child into a chair and dragged them across the ground by the arm has been struck off.

Margaret Spencer was found to be “fundamentally incompatible” with continuing her role as a social service worker after her “bullying behaviour” towards children.

A report by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) said that she “misused the power and position” given to her, communicated in an “abusive and demeaning” manner and “failed to act as a good role model” to children in her care.

The string of offences took place between 2012 and 2013 at Saline Nursery, Oakley Road. Spencer assaulted a child by seizing their body and pushing them down into a chair and committed another assault by dragging a child across the ground by the arm.

She also told one of the youngsters to “shut up” in an inappropriate manner and shouted at another that she was “a very rude little girl”.

The report said that Spencer’s behaviour fell “far below” the standards expected of professionals in social services.

Her actions were found “likely to cause service users to feel distressed and intimidated, placing children at risk of emotional harm”.

The abuse was directed towards young children and, in particular, a youngster who was known to have language difficulties and challenging behaviour. The case was “not an isolated incident” and demonstrated a “pattern of misconduct” over a length of time.

Although Spencer had previous good history with her employer and the council and was suffering from ill health at the time of the misconduct, the report found that she had “not shown any insight” into the potential serious consequences of her behaviour.

The council decided that a removal order was the most appropriate sanction, being both “necessary and justified” in the public interest.