Are Children Safe? Gwynedd Council Safeguarding And Risk Model...

Whose job is it to keep children in Gwynedd safe from predators like Neil Foden?

 

While Jackson is holed up at home refusing to answer the door to reporters - who is asking questions of the school governors at Ysgol Friars? -
https://www.ysgolfriars.cymru/en/the-governing-body

and Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle? -
https://www.ysgoldyffrynnantlle.cymru/en/governors/whos-who

And what of the cyngor Gwynedd safeguarding team...?

The Senior Manager Safeguarding and Quality at Cyngor Gwynedd Counci is Dafydd Paul -

'Senior manager within statutory Children Services with responsibility in areas of child protection (safeguarding), adult protection, corporate safeguarding and quality assurance. Manager of the Safeguarding and Quality Unit. Internal coach, coach supervisor and trainer in corporate programmes. AcademyWales associate in areas of executive coaching, facilitation and Managing Change training programme.' 

Dafydd Paul and Bruce Thornton created the Risk Model -

 

The Risk Model continues to be developed.  As it is introduced in ever increasing numbers of Authorities, Bruce modifies and extends the tools and training products.  Dafydd has incorporated the Risk Model into a new innovation developed by Children Services in Gwynedd called Effective Child Protection. 

About the project -

Has the Risk Model failed..?
All models, policies and procedures are heavily reliant on the honesty, integrity and professional judgement of those in senior positions...

In June, 2023, feedback from a safeguarding review by Care Inspectorate Wales was presented to the Care Scrutiny Committee. It was found that -

Children in Gwynedd benefit from agencies sharing information effectively, and this is supported by a clear and understood model of practice. It was considered that children in Gwynedd are safeguarded effectively...
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/s38246/Feedback%20from%20Safeguarding%20Review%20by%20Care%20Inspectorate%20Wales.pdf

But the council do acknowledge  -
However, two examples were seen where external agencies had not shared information with children’s services in a timely manner.

In typical Ffordd Gwynedd way, Marian Parry Hughes, Head of Children and Family SS does not name the external agencies in her report. 

Also - 
2.8 It was noted that North Wales Police’s policy is not to attend review child protection conferences. It was recognised that they provide a report to the meetings, but it was flet (sic) that this was a failure to participate in the discussion in relation to whether the child remained at risk of significant harm

One wonders if the Care Inspectorate Wales review was the reason for the Director of SS, delaying publication of the 2022/23 Annual Complaints Handling report? The CIW may have probed deeper if they had known about the historic complaints reported...

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

A reminder that this is the first SS Annual Complaints Handling report to go before the Care Scrutiny Committee since 2019 after which Dafydd Paul was called out for misleading councillors.
No proper scrutiny for five years...

“A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody.”
Thomas Paine  

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

                          

                

Gwynedd Council “Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services" From 2011

The previous post highlighted critical reports into Cyngor Gwynedd social services department from 2001 through to 2008 undertaken by Wales Audit Office and the Care Inspectorate Wales. 

There were many promises for improvement -
The council’s strategic director of social services, Dafydd P Lewis, said that since the joint review was completed in 2007, a great deal of time and effort had been invested in modernising the sector... and that councillors and staff in key positions have expressed a determination to achieve the change now required means that we are confident that we can deliver the necessary changes quickly and efficiently," 

Council leader Dyfed Edwards said: "This report confirms that the ‘traditional’ Gwynedd way of delivering social services is no longer an acceptable option and that we must modernise these services as a matter of urgency."

Strong words from the then Director of Gwynedd SS departments and council leader - so did things get better ?

A 2010/11 Care Inspectorate Wales report highlighted 42 areas in which Gwynedd social services needed to improve. In some areas the department’s results have put it amongst the worst performing councils in Wales.

From a Daily Post article by Dion Jones 00:00, 1 DEC 2011 Updated 00:58, 19 APR 2013

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/gwynedd-council-social-services-criticised-2674423

 

Gwynedd Council social services criticised in report

 

THE county’s social services department has failed to meet a number of statutory requirements in the field of child protection, according to a damning report.

The social services watchdog for Wales said it does not yet have the “confidence” in Gwynedd Council’s delivery of some children’s services.

The 2010/11 annual report by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales has outlined a staggering 42 areas across the board in which social services need to improve – compared to just 20 areas where the department is praised.

In some areas the department’s results have put it amongst the worst performing councils in Wales.

But the head of the social services in Gwynedd said it has already adopted an improvement programme and that progress has been made in the six months since the inspection period.

Among the most hard hitting statistics in the report were:

Only 63% of service users had a review of their care plan – one of the lowest proportions in Wales

36% of all initial assessments on children were carried out by social workers when the child wasn’t even there. This meant that almost 500 children were not seen as part of their initial assessment.

Only 47% of initial assessments were carried out within seven days (the national standard).

A total of 90 people experienced delays in being discharged from hospital – significantly higher than other authorities in North Wales.

An entry in the report reads: “Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services.

“A number of improvement priorities and statutory requirements have not been met.”

However, the report also praised some aspects of the department, such as the “well run” fostering service which was deemed to be providing “good quality and nurturing care for children and young people”.

Gwen Carrington, Gwynedd Council’s head of social services said: “The council is committed to continuing to improve social services so that we can provide modern and effective support for vulnerable people.

“In their annual report for the period from April 2010 to March 2011, the CSSIW note that Gwynedd Council’s social services has an understanding of its strengths and the fields where improvements needed.

“The council is already implementing an improvement programme.

“For example, we have already adopted a residential and nursing strategy to tackle the over-dependency on traditional residential care.

“The CSSIW notes that the evidence shows the council is making progress in key areas and they have confirmed that no inspection will be undertaken in Gwynedd in 2011-2012.

“In addition, there has been substantial progress in the six month period since the period of the report.”

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/gwynedd-council-social-services-criticised-2674423

So a critical report from 2001 was ignored with no improvements made and the same in 2008.

Remember the then Director's words from 2008 -  'a great deal of time and effort had been invested in modernising the sector...and that councillors and staff in key positions have expressed a determination to achieve the change now required means that we are confident that we can deliver the necessary changes quickly and efficiently.'

Obviously not...

But, this time a different Director of SS has been appointed to step forward and promise  to 'provide modern and effective support for vulnerable people' that senior officer's had promised in 2001 and again in 2008 and now 2011. Gwen Carrington states “The council is already implementing an improvement programme."

The same thing over and over and over....

Below is a link to the Director of SS, Annual Report for the year 2010/2011 - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/Data/Dwyfor%20Area%20Committee/20120326/Agenda/11_02_Appendix.pdf

The Director of Social Service departments Annual Report is an important piece of work and the data is so valued by national governments to plan future services it is protected by legislation. Whilst the critical CIW and other agency reports and recommendations are ignored and left on the shelf to gather dust, social service reports are used to inform, build on success, identify areas for improvement and be aware of any 'trends' and 'patterns' that emerge....

The Director writes -
"Since our services were criticised in the Joint Review (external joint-review of social services in 2008 undertaken by the CSSIW and WAO), we have been busy laying foundations and strengthening arrangements. This year, we have evidence of that success and the inspectors have acknowledged our success in 2010."

Whilst the CSSIW (Care Inspectorate Wales) writes -
“Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services."

 

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Meeting Concluded. Hmm.

The Minutes of the Extraordinary meeting held on the 6th November, 2018, have finally surfaced and have been presented to the Committee meeting on the 31st January, 2019.

The meeting in November was held to receive the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) Report AND the Annual Complaints Handling Report of the Supporting Children and Families department.

Previous blog posts have publicised the emails sent to the members of the Care Scrutiny Committee in which issues were raised with the 'accuracy' of the Complaints Report, authored and presented by Dafydd Paul.

The minutes are, also, not an accurate record of the meeting and an email was sent to the Democratic Services on the morning of the meeting raising this point and asking for an explanation.

No reply was given and the meeting went ahead with the Minutes signed and are now seen as an accurate record - they are not. I wonder if the email was even presented to the Committee.

https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/400538

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd Council.

Cyngor #Gwynedd Council.

On November 1st, 2018, Cabinet Member for Children, Dilwyn Morgan received an email.

 

Dear Mr Morgan,

 

We wish to bring to your attention, as Cabinet Member for Children and Families, our experiences with Gwynedd Social Services department.

 

To date there has been an Independent Investigation with all points upheld from 2010.

 

A second Independent Investigation, with all points upheld, in October, 2017, both were highly critical of the Children and Families department.

 

A Local Ombudsman for Wales Investigation of 2018 highlighted maladministration and service failure going back from 2010 through to 2016.

 

There is also an Information Manager's Investigation Report, dated June, 2018, concerning the release of the names of children on CIN plans. Including the redactions and mishandling of our personal Information and the question of legality of officers actions that remain unanswered.

 

There is also a second Ombudsman's Investigation currently ongoing.

 

We are at a loss to understand therefore how the council is publicly acknowledging the CIW Inspection yet nothing is mentioned of the more negative Reports.

 

We ask for a meeting with you to discuss our concerns. We also have concerns regarding the Children and Families Department's Complaint Handling Report 2017/18 that we have just had sight of and that you will be presenting to the Care Scrutiny Committee on November the 6th. 

 

 

Mr Morgan thanked us for the email and informed us that he had asked for a full briefing on the matter, then would get back to us and would look at the matters thoroughly.