Head of child care unit suspended
The head of a secure unit for children has been suspended after he was placed on a list provisionally disqualifying him from working with youngsters.
William McFadyen was sent home from his post at St Philip's School near Airdrie, Lanarkshire earlier this week.
Mr McFadyen formerly worked at Kerelaw unit, Ayrshire, which closed down this year amid child abuse investigations.
A claim dating back to 1993 is believed to have been made against Mr McFadyen, a former Kerelaw deputy head.
He is one of 17 former employees referred to the Scottish Executive to be considered for disqualification from working with children.
Glasgow City Council, which ran the Ayrshire residential school, has already sacked 13 employees, two of whom were jailed for the abuse of children.
'Precautionary measure'The claims against Mr McFadyen have yet to be investigated.
He was suspended at the beginning of this week.
He had worked at St Philip's, which opened earlier this year, for almost a year.
Chairman of Cora, the charity which runs St Philip's, Monsignor Peter Smith said: "Mr McFadyen has been suspended but that to a great extent is a precautionary measure, simply because he has been placed provisionally on the list who are disqualified from working with children.
"He has been up-front the whole way through this.
"After discussions with the board it was decided for Mr McFadyen's own protection and for the school's own protection it would be better to place him on leave at the moment."
He said Mr McFadyen was on holiday when he was told he was on the list and that he immediately informed the school board.
A spokesman for the Care Commission said: "We have been notified that a member of senior management at the service has been suspended."
The Scottish Executive said it could not comment on individual cases