When Shannon Gorski decided to file a complaint against her mother’s social worker a few years ago, she assumed that any proven transgressions would be made public by the B.C. College of Social Workers.
As she had hoped, the college’s inquiry committee investigated Shelley Behr of Richmond and found a list of violations that included blurring professional and personal boundaries, creating a situation where Gorski’s mother became dependent on her, and working outside of her areas of competence, according to a 2017 decision shared with CBC.
But while Behr signed an agreement with the college consenting to remedial actions, there would be no public record of the outcome. Gorski was dumbfounded.
“Where’s the accountability?” she asked. “How are you protecting the public? When a person Googles their name, and it comes up, she’s ‘in good standing.’ There’s no record.”
Behr has yet to respond to requests for comment.
