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The B.C. government says a Kelowna social worker accused of stealing money from teens in government care no longer works for it.

The Ministry of Children and Family Development responded Friday to allegations against Robert Riley Sanders, who is accused of defrauding dozens of youth, mainly aboriginal, out of government support money.

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“The individual in question is no longer employed with the B.C. public service,” the ministry said.

The ministry said it has taken several steps because of the allegations to protect youth, including new financial controls aimed at ensuring money is not misappropriated.

An independent review of the ministry’s financial controls, completed earlier this year, recommended a system’s change to prevent staff from being able to both order and print cheques without the involvement of a second staff member.

The ministry says it will review its payment process, and look at measures to reduce the reliance on cheque-based payments.