A social worker accused of failing murdered toddler Liam Fee and 15 other children was described as "erratic" and "chaotic" at a hearing into her conduct.

Lesley Bate was part of the team responsible for monitoring the child's welfare in the months before he was killed by his mother Rachel Trelfa or Fee and her partner Nyomi Fee in Thornton, Fife, in March 2014.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) has accused her of a string of charges relating to her professional conduct during her time as a social worker with Fife Council between December 2011 and August 2014.

Ms Bate, 60, was a member of the Glenrothes child protection team which managed Liam Fee's case.

She is accused of failing to follow up concerns raised by a childminder about Liam, who is named "FF" in the anonymised SSSC documents.

The papers also allege that despite the carer raising concerns about bruising on Liam's face on January 15, 2013, and reports that the child had a sore neck the following month, Ms Bate did not act.

During the murder trial of Rachel and Nyomi Fee at the High Court in Livingston earlier this year, childminder Heather Farmer told the court she contacted the Scottish Childminding Association in January 2013 after he turned up with scratches and bruises to his face.

In a separate incident, she raised concerns about the toddler's neck after he was dropped off at her home on February 18, 2013.

As the SSSC hearing opened in Dundee on Monday, the conduct sub-committee was told in the month following Liam's death Ms Bate had been under a disciplinary investigation and had been off sick.

When she returned she was moved to the children and families team based in Dunfermline led by James Ross.

He told the hearing how he had tried to "help and support" Ms Bate on her return but her work had been "poor".

Mr Ross, who was her manager between June and August 2014, said he had "serious questions about her assessment of risk" after Liam's death.

Mr Ross said: "There had been a lengthy investigation into Lesley's work before she came to my team. That had concluded she be given an opportunity to practise elsewhere in the service.

"She was probably the most erratic person I have worked with. She was fine when there was no work to be undertaken - but the minute anything was required she failed to undertake it.

"She absolutely could not understand risk at that point and I had a real concern about her visiting families and drawing a conclusion about what the information was telling her.

"She was very disorganised and presented chaotically. I constantly tidied up for her because I wanted the children to be safe."

She faces a total of 13 charges relating to 16 different children, including several allegations she "failed to take necessary steps to minimise actual or potential risk of harm" for them.

In one instance, she was given a case to handle in which a father of an unborn child had been charged with 21 offences of domestic and sexual violence against women.

Ms Bate neglected to mention that in a report going before an initial child protection case conference.

In another case involving concerns of neglect over children, the hearing was told she failed to undertake planned weekly visits with the express aim of "keeping children safe" - claiming she had simply "forgot".

She is alleged to have dropped a letter outside her office building containing "the most sensitive information possible" about children she was working with - a document later found in the street by a neighbour.

One of her managers, Karen Pedder, is to give evidence later this week.

She told the Liam Fee murder trial the toddler had "fallen off the radar" of social work staff in the months leading up to his death.

The hearing was told Ms Bate has "relinquished" her registration as a social worker with the SSSC but does not admit any of the charges against her. She has chosen not to attend this week's hearing.

The hearing continues and is expected to run until Friday.

Rachel Fee, 31, and Nyomi Fee, 29, were jailed for life for Liam's murder last month.