Cyngor Gwynedd Council - The Dog Ate My Homework...

Cyngor Gwynedd council held a Communities Scrutiny Committee meeting on the 18th April, 2024. First up on the agenda was the 'Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board delivery arrangements' report authored by the council leader, Dyfrig Siencyn.

The committee will remember last years annual report being presented. It was ridiculed for its lack of detail and concerns were also raised that documents were missing from the Board's website. Councillors asked how there could be proper scrutiny without them. One councillor compared the plans to a ‘slow motion car crash whilst laughing along the way.' A proposal to defer the report was voted down and bizarrely the committee passed the report in spite of their concerns.

Just as last year, Cllr Siencyn did not turn up for this meeting either and his report had to be presented by Geraint Owen, the council's executive officer. Councillors again criticised this report for its lack of detail and no 'meat on the bones'. Geraint Owen, who explained that he now sits on the Board agreed with some of the criticism. For councillors who were present at the July meeing it must have been a case of deja vu.

Just as last year, a councillor proposed that the report be deferred until more detail was provided. The chair, who had herself been very vocal in her criticism of the report asked that the conversation be completed first. 

But Elin Hywel did not deal with the request for deferral and went straight on to make her own recommendations one being to accept the report. Once again, a Gwynedd scrutiny committee passed a report in spite of their serious concerns and what many consider to be wholly inadequate.
A mere tick box exercise to cover for officers badly produced homework..?

This is NOT scrutiny.
For far too long, it would appear that Gwynedd councillors have followed the party line and supported senior officers to avoid reputational damage. The leader and executive officers have warned that the culture within the council must change - not fully grasping that they themselves are responsible for the culture that exists.
This culture exists because of the failure of scrutiny members to hold officers to account also.

The report, for what its worth, can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=40660
Cllr Siencyn's report is notable more for what the Board is NOT doing...

The webcast of the meeting can be found here - press the english tab for the translated feed.
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/875173

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Councillors Silent On Historic Complaints...

The Care Scrutiny Committee of Cyngor Gwynedd council received the SS annual complaints handling report last week. It is the first time the complaints report has come before scrutiny since 2019, after which the senior complaints manager was called out for misleading the committee.

One councillor mentioned he had made a complaint against social services during the pandemic and expressed his discontent with the process and urged the department to take complaints more seriously. He mentioned that the response to his Stage 2 complaint seemed to be to defend the service.

Historic complaints were reported...
As the report was written last year, but only just released, it can be presumed that these complaints stem from 2013. The scant detail given of the historic complaints against the Arfon children's team is concerning. Were the young people in care at the time? Was the safeguarding team informed?

Not one councillor of Gwynedd's Care Scrutiny Committee asked a question in relation to the two historic complaints mentioned in the SS departments report... 

People will remember the north Wales abuse scandal of the 70's through to the 1990's.
Gwynedd council sacked Alison Taylor, the social worker who blew the whistle on the abuse.,,

The scrutiny committee meeting of the 11th April was webcast and a recording can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/873653

The SS report states that one historic complaint can not be investigated as the social worker has left the council. This may be true but Gwynedd council has in a previous investigation, told an independent investigator that one employee could not be questioned as the officer had left the council. This officer returned to the council after the investigator had concluded her interviews with witnesses. 

In another case, the council informed investigating officers that an officer could not be questioned as they were on long term sick. Once that investigation was concluded, the officer returned to work, this time for Anglesey council...

The senior officers have also been called out for interfering in an 'independent investigation' by the Ombudsman for Wales. The investigator reported feeling bullied and overwhelmed by senior officers at a meeting held to discuss her initial report. 

Marian Parry Hughes and Aled Gibbard were the most senior officers present at this meeting alongside the social worker complained about for undertaking a fake assessment on a child. The social worker was also called out for sending what the parents called a malicious email designed, it was claimed, to cause trouble for them - this was denied...

The investigator's initial report upheld all complaints...
After this meeting, and a final third revision, this was no longer the case and only then was the report accepted by the Director of SS.
Are investigators only paid when their reports are accepted by senior officers..?

Gwynedd council's SS complaints handling has been shocking and for those who have endured the process, it appears the system has been used defensively and to protect reputational damage...

One serious complaint against an officer was downgraded to an enquiry by the former Director. Downgrading complaints means that the details are not recorded so avoiding scrutiny.
Are there more such cases?

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

 

 

 

Social Worker Complaint - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

The Director of Cyngor Gwynedd council SS departments has finally released the Annual Complaints Handling report for 2022/23. The report was written last year but only now has it been presented for scrutiny by the Care Scrutiny Committee that meet on the 11th April, 2024...

The report is co-authored by Marian Parry Hughes (childrens dept) and Aled Davies (adults dept). It is long and gives much detail that is not usually included in these reports. The report can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g4975/Public%20reports%20pack%2011th-Apr-2024%2010.30%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Page 36 mentions a historic complaint -

 

 And another one on page 37 - 

Treating the complaint in this way may be unintentionally shutting down the pathway to the PSOW. The Ombudsman for Wales usually requires a complaint to have gone through the council's Stage 1 and Stage 2 complaints process. Could one of these complainants have approached the Ombudsman directly? 

The Ombudsman has discretion to investigate matters of a historical nature... 

The second complaint was closed down because the complainant mentioned the c word - compensation. Gwynedd council would have known the process would be triggering for the young person and one hopes that this young person was supported during the process.

Both historic complaints were against the Arfon children's team. The senior complaints officer mentioned is also the senior safeguarding officer for the council and has held his post for many years - many of the now senior officers within the children's department have also been there for many years...

One notable departure from the department has been Morwena Edwards, the director of social services who left her post in 2022 - one year after the former CEO, Dilwyn Williams retired. Last year, the Head of Education, Garem Jackson, left his post citing personal reasons.

The Care Scrutiny committee will also discuss Derwen's short breaks service. This report is also written by Marian Parry Hughes and it is titled 'to obtain assurance that suitable provision is available to all who need the service' -

Amser Ni has been hugely beneficial but there have been barriers along the way to make sure that the provision in place meets the demand. Recruiting volunteers has been a big problem over recent years, this is a national problem, where more people are trying to seek paid employment rather than volunteering. 

It is disgraceful that such an important service is heavily reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.

The Autism Plan task and finish group is also on the agenda. This report is written by Vera Jones, the Democracy and Language Manager. Excerpts include -
...it was noted that there was a need to ensure that nobody fell through the net, e.g., individuals with autism only (no learning disability). During the discussion it was highlighted that support was available across all the services, which was crucial.

It is also reported that - 
Figures were presented that showed that over 50% of children who received an assessment did not receive a diagnosis following a thorough assessment process. 

If over half the children are not receiving a diagnosis then what are their issues and why were they referred in the first place?

Is the Derwen criteria lawful? Does it exclude certain cohorts of children and their parents/carers from accessing much needed support or provision? Many parents are coming to the conclusion that the autism team is not the innovative service claimed by the council, but yet another signposting service.

Interesting to note that this care scrutiny committee meeting dealing with the above matters has now been changed from a 'multi location' meeting to a virtual meeting only. The council has stated that this will only happen in certain circumstances...

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...