The Social Workers Complaints and Disciplinary Tribunal has now censured the woman, in her 40s, cancelled her registration and ordered her to pay more than $10,000 in costs.
The tribunal’s recently released decision suppressed her and the student’s names, and the name and location of the school.
The decision stated her role included working with students and their families on attendance, and counselling students dealing with mental health concerns.
She was not involved in counselling the male student but knew of him from within the school.
Their contact began when he sent her a friend request on Facebook in June 2023.
She was initially unsure whether the request was him seeking help and she accepted it after a couple of days.
He then messaged her, saying “hi”, and at first she didn’t reply. But when he said he was looking for people to chat with, she asked if he was seeking help.
When he told her that he thought about her during masturbation, she told him it was not a topic he should speak to her about and that the conversation had to stop.
However, their communication continued.
The conversations became sexually explicit and they eventually shared Snapchat details and started sharing intimate photographs.
The messaging occurred for up to three weeks.
After the school became aware of the situation, she was investigated.
The woman later told the tribunal she felt she “gave in” and responded to the student as she was in her own “vulnerable state”.
She said it “felt easier to give in to his advances than to continue resisting and deterring him”.
The decision stated that while she discouraged and stopped communication on several occasions, including blocking him on Facebook and Snapchat, she later resumed contact.
He then blocked her and the pair agreed to delete the messages.
About a month after the initial conversation, he attempted to contact her again, wanting to engage in similar messaging.
But he became uncomfortable and the pair agreed to stop contact again after she told him of the potential consequences.
They blocked each other on social media platforms and deleted their messages and photographs.
His friends became aware of the situation and contacted the school principal in September 2023.
The student told the principal what had happened and the school launched an investigation before the social worker resigned.
When she later appeared before the tribunal, a professional conduct committee noted the age disparity, power imbalance between the pair and the position of trust she held at the school.
The committee submitted her conduct was unprofessional and inappropriate.
“Her conduct demonstrated a sustained lack of professional judgment in circumstances where she understood that sending a student sexual messages and photos was entirely inappropriate,” the decision said.
“She also failed to appreciate the need to seek help where her judgment was impaired.”
The decision recorded that she said she was not the “predator” in the interactions, but that she had been vulnerable and low at the time, and the student made her feel good about herself.
She told the tribunal she had received negative judgments in the community and some had “shunned” her.
In November 2025, she filed a memorandum confirming her acceptance of the charge of professional misconduct, or alternatively, conduct unbecoming.
The tribunal found serious misconduct and a breach of the Teaching Council’s code of professional responsibility, noting her remorse and psychological distress at the time of the misconduct.
The tribunal censured her and ordered the cancellation of her registration.
She was ordered to pays costs of $8077 to the professional conduct committee and $2597 to the tribunal.
