Murdered toddler Liam Fee's social worker decided child protection workers should not intervene after he was found badly bruised, a hearing has been told.

Lesley Bate was a member of Fife Council's child protection team in Glenrothes and faces a string of charges at the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) conduct sub-committee.

She faces claims over her work for the authority between December 2011 and August 2014.

Two of the allegations concern Liam Fee, who is known in anonymised SSSC papers as FF.

The official who investigated the social worker's conduct during her time in the child protection team told a hearing on Tuesday of Ms Bate's involvement with Liam and his parents, Rachel Trelfa or Fee and Nyomi Fee.

Tracey Burke said Liam's childminder Heather Farmer, referred to at the hearing as HF, had raised concerns in January 2013.

Despite that and subsequent concerns about a neck injury he suffered weeks later, Ms Bate failed to follow up on the case or make notes relating to it on council computer systems.

Instead, she blamed "pressure of work" for her failures despite other workers saying her case load was not excessive.

Ms Burke said her failings were "not acceptable" and she should have followed up allegations of child abuse "in a robust manner".

The hearing was told how Liam's mother, referred to as RT at the hearing, had fled an abusive relationship in Newcastle to settle with Nyomi Fee in Thornton, Fife.

Ms Burke said the case had been allocated to Ms Bate after he had been referred to the department by the childminder on January 15, 2013, with unexplained bruises.

Liam presented as "unsteady on his feet and with bruising on his back".

"He also had a black eye," she said, which his mother explained had happened when he fell while playing.

On another occasion, the childminder reported FF had a "massive bruise" on his forehead and bruising on both legs.

The child's mother said he had fallen out of his cot and she had found him asleep on the floor in the morning.

The childminder had raised concerns about whether the child had been knocked unconscious, Ms Burke stated.

At the time of her initial joint investigation with a police officer into the family's circumstances, Ms Bate said during their home visit they found the mother's account to be "plausible" and recommended a health visitor at school should be contacted.

There was to be no further role undertaken by the social work department, however, the note said.

The childminder later reported the child had complained of a sore neck and emailed Ms Bate about that and also about a lack of supervision of the child, Ms Burke said.

The health visitor was not contacted and it was discovered that the child's mother had lied about taking him to see his GP about his sore neck.

Afterwards, the child stopped going to the childminder and she was worried about him, Ms Burke added.

The hearing at the SSSC's HQ in Dundee continues.