Children at risk as safety worker accused of terrorising partner, denying visits

A senior child safety worker has been accused of using his power to terrorise his partner and forge ‘inappropriate’ relationships with clients in an appalling corruption scandal involving claims he traded departmental secrets for drugs.

The Government has refused to comment on the case.

A SENIOR child safety worker has been accused of using his power to terrorise his partner and forge “inappropriate” relationships with clients in an appalling corruption scandal involving claims he traded departmental secrets for drugs.

The Courier-Mail can reveal that the senior public servant has been sacked after an 18-month internal investigation found he made “inappropriate or unprofessional” relationships with at least one departmental client and threatened to use his position to commit acts of domestic violence.

The investigation found the safety worker threatened to use his position to commit acts of domestic violence.

The investigation also found he misused his position for personal gain, and his actions tarnished the public ­service. His sacking in Novemb er followed allegations lodged in mid-2017, which were first revealed by The Courier-Mail, that he sourced drugs from a father and teenager known to the department and tipped off the father that he would be investigated for domestic violence.

It is also alleged he took visitation away from another father because he was having an affair with the man’s wife.

But exactly which allegations were substantiated are unknown, with the Government refusing to comment on the case.

This week, it refused a Right to Information request for details of the Ethical Standards investigation, which also involved the Crime and Corruption Commission, throughout which the suspended public servant received full pay.

It found that it “would not … be in the public interest” to release the documents.

A departmental spokeswoman ­confirmed the sacking, but said she could not comment.

“The department’s Professional Standards unit refers cases to the CCC when there is a reasonable suspicion of corrupt conduct by an employee,” she said.

“We are unable to comment further on this particular case as it remains before the courts.”

The public servant is charged with choking in a domestic setting and attempting to pervert justice and will face trial in March.