Zoe Shepherd
Introduction
Zoe Shepherd is a former social care worker from Cupar in Fife who was struck off by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) after being convicted of stealing £3,080 from a vulnerable resident at the care home where she worked. Over roughly six weeks in 2025 she used the resident’s bank card and PIN to withdraw cash from an ATM, spent all of it, and then gave police shifting accounts of where the money was. She received a community-based sentence at Dundee Sheriff Court and was later removed from the SSSC register with immediate effect.
Background Information
Shepherd, 29, worked as a social care worker for Abbotsford Care Ltd at its care home in Newburgh, Fife, supporting vulnerable individuals. The role carried a high degree of trust and, in this case, gave her access to a resident’s bank card and PIN.
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Criminal conviction. The theft conviction was recorded by a criminal court; the SSSC removal was the regulator’s consequence.
Between 21 August and 7 October 2025, Shepherd used the resident’s bank card and PIN to withdraw a total of £3,080 from an ATM at a local Co-op. The thefts came to light when the resident noticed the withdrawals and police were called. A check of staff rotas at the home pointed towards Shepherd, and officers reviewing CCTV were able to match the withdrawals to the card machines she had used.
When questioned, Shepherd initially admitted taking the money, telling officers it was in her car before changing her account to say it was in her own bank account. She had in fact spent every penny, and none of it could be recovered at the time. She later sent £2,800 back to the care home to be returned to her victim, leaving £280 outstanding.
Shepherd was convicted of theft at Dundee Sheriff Court on 13 March 2026. Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith imposed 200 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody and ordered her to repay the remaining £280 to her victim. Sentencing, he said: “For all I know that was their life savings. It could be money accumulated over many years of working. She robbed the complainer of that by taking it out of the bank and keeping it for herself,” adding: “It is a gross breach of trust. You have crossed the custodial threshold.”
Public Reaction and Consequences
In a newly released report, the SSSC removed Shepherd from the register with immediate effect. The report told her: “You stole a significant sum of money from a supported individual. You were dishonest and abused the trust and confidence placed in you as a social service worker,” and said her behaviour “caused financial harm to a supported individual and risked causing them emotional harm”. Because the thefts took place on more than one occasion over several weeks, the SSSC found the pattern of behaviour indicated a higher risk of repetition.
Shepherd apologised for her behaviour, but the SSSC said conduct of this nature raises “serious and fundamental questions” about her personal and professional values and is therefore more difficult to remediate; a warning was ruled out because her actions were “extremely serious”. The watchdog described the conduct as a substantial departure from the SSSC Codes of Practice and “fundamentally incompatible with professional registration”, and said a removal order was both necessary and justified in the public interest. Abbotsford Care Ltd said it acted immediately to protect the resident once the matter was identified and worked closely with the relevant authorities, adding that it was “deeply disappointed” by the actions of a former employee that “do not reflect our values or the high standards we expect”.
Current Status
Shepherd is struck off the SSSC register with immediate effect and cannot work as a registered social service worker in Scotland. She is no longer employed by Abbotsford Care Ltd. She remains subject to the 200 hours of unpaid work imposed in March 2026 and the order to repay the outstanding £280. The public record does not indicate any appeal against the removal order.
Impact on Their Career/Life
The conviction and removal order have ended Shepherd’s career in social care. A removal order is the SSSC’s most serious sanction, and with a theft conviction involving a person in her care, the regulator found her conduct fundamentally incompatible with professional registration — a finding that effectively bars her from registered social service work. The resident, whose savings the sheriff observed could have taken years to accumulate, recovered £2,800 of the £3,080 taken, with the balance ordered repaid through the criminal court.