CLAIRE RUNKEE – HULL

❌CLAIRE RUNKEE – HULL❌

2016 – Social worker, 38, had sex with vulnerable boy, 16, in a hotel after sending string of 100 ‘graphic and sexually explicit’ messages on Facebook

A professional social worker has been removed from the register after a disciplinary panel found she engaged in an inappropriate personal relationship with a young boy she had been involved with through her work.

Claire Runkee, 38, was struck off the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) register following an investigation into her conduct with a 16-year-old boy described as vulnerable and under care orders. 

Runkee had qualified as a social worker in 2012 and was working with a children’s safeguarding team when the relationship with the teenager developed. Although she described the connection initially as a “friendship,” the HCPC heard evidence that she sent the young man a large number of personal online messages, which were considered inappropriate and extensive in nature. 

The boy’s foster carers discovered more than 100 messages sent via Facebook between Runkee and the teenager, and raised concerns that prompted a safeguarding investigation. The messages included language from her encouraging the boy not to disclose their interactions and attempts to direct how he should respond, which the hearing took into account when considering her conduct. 

The relationship culminated in the pair spending time together at a hotel, which formed part of the evidence examined by the panel. The boy was later provided with therapeutic support after the liaison came to light. 

At the HCPC hearing, members found Runkee’s actions represented a breach of professional boundaries and ethics, particularly given the age of the young person and her duty of care toward those she worked with. Although the panel noted she had expressed remorse, they concluded she had not demonstrated a full understanding of the seriousness of her behaviour or its impact. 

The conduct committee stated that the relationship, even if described by some as “consensual,” was unacceptable because it stemmed from an abuse of trust and professional position and involved concealment for personal reasons. The panel emphasised that continuing to allow her to practise would not safeguard the public or uphold confidence in the profession. 

As a result, Runkee was removed from the professional register, meaning she can no longer work as a registered social worker in the UK.