A GLASGOW social worker who conned foster carers out of thousands of pounds has been struck off.

John Fraser “abused his position of trust” by pocketing at least £4000 fraudulently from couples who had pledged to care for vulnerable children.

The senior social worker told carers that they were responsible for payments for training courses, respite care and other services when they were not required to.

The carers paid him directly and he kept the money. One couple were told to stump up £400 to cover the cost of accommodating a child they were unable to look after due to being on holiday.

In the worst case, the senior social worker told a couple that they had been overpaid £2370 in care payments by the fostering agency he was employed by.

In another case he duped two carers into paying money for a training course that they were not required to fund.

The incidents happened while Mr Fraser was employed as a senior supervising social worker with Foster Care Associates, based at Buchanan Business Park in Stepps.

The social worker was convicted of five counts of fraud at Airdrie Sheriff Court on February 22 last year while employed as a senior supervising social worker at Foster Care Associates in Glasgow.

He has now been struck off the register of social workers following a hearing by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

The inquiry was told that Fraser’s behaviour was “deliberate and premeditated” and foster carers had incurred financial losses as a result.

The SSSC said a more lenient sanction would not have been sufficient to protect the public.

The inquiry concluded: “The public expect social workers to act honestly and with integrity.

“The behaviour demonstrated a serious abuse of the trust placed in you.

“There was a pattern of dishonest behaviour which took place on a number of occasions over a number of years. You used processes which were established by your work to conceal your behaviour and to make your behaviour appear legitimate.”

Currently in Glasgow there are nearly 1400 children accommodated away from home.

The Evening Times contacted Foster Care Associates but the company did not respond to our request for comment.