A 30-year-old domiciliary care worker from County Fermanagh who defrauded the benefits system of more than £32,000 has been permitted to remain in her profession despite her criminal conviction.
Allyson Power, residing at Jubilee Hill in Ballinamallard, admitted to fraudulently obtaining £32,277 in universal credit payments over a period exceeding two years.
The Northern Ireland Social Care Council has now issued its ruling on the case, allowing Ms Power to continue working in social care with only a warning placed against her professional registration.
Her conviction followed an investigation by the Department for Communities into the fraudulent claims.
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Ms Power entered a guilty plea at Dungannon Crown Court last October.
She acknowledged she had dishonestly failed to disclose income from self-employment while claiming Universal Credit.
The fraudulent activity spanned from February 2020 through to July 2022, during which time she neglected to inform the Social Services Agency of her changed financial circumstances.
By concealing her additional earnings, Ms Power unlawfully received benefits totalling £32,277 over the two-and-a-half-year period.
A woman in Northern Ireland fraudulently claimed £30k in benefits but has been allowed to keep her job
|GETTY
The court handed down a two-year probation order as punishment for the offence, rather than imposing a custodial sentence.
The NISCC addressed Ms Power's conduct through a consensual disposal hearing, where she accepted a three-year warning to be recorded on her registration.
In its published decision, the regulator stated: "Your fraudulent behaviour was carried out over a period in excess of two years.
"Your actions were dishonest."
The council also criticised Power for failing to notify either her employer or the regulatory body about the criminal proceedings at the earliest opportunity.
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She was handed a two-year probation for the crime
|GETTY
The council also criticised Ms Power for failing to notify either her employer or the regulatory body about the criminal proceedings at the earliest opportunity.
According to the NISCC, her conduct demonstrated a serious disregard for the organisation's standards of conduct and practice expected of registered social care workers.
The regulator acknowledged several mitigating factors in reaching its decision.
These included Ms Power's offending occurred outside her professional duties and she remains employed in a social care position.
Ms Power cooperated with the NISCC investigation and submitted a reflective account of her actions.
The council emphasised: "The public has the right to expect that social care workers, in whom it places its trust and confidence, to uphold the law and not to engage in offending behaviour."
Having been informed of the consequences, Ms Power consented to the warning being imposed.
Crucially, the NISCC confirmed the warning does not affect her ability to practise as a care worker.
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