It is not usual for a CEO of a county council to deny involvement in the delay of a report -
Council boss denies it was behind Foden report delay
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kwy7wnnk4o
Nor is it usual for a safeguarding board to delay a review report whilst it 'considers its legal obligations and information sharing further'
Due to the lack of trust in the council, it is understandable that the CEO, Dafydd Gibbard, felt the need to publicly deny involvement. What is the reasoning behind the North Wales Safeguarding Board's decision to delay the Jan Pickles review?
The Jan Pickles review, aided by the Genevieve Woods report, looked at the crimes of paedophile headteacher, Neil Foden and how he continued to abuse even after concerns were raised against him...
Foden could have been stopped yet many people failed to do so...
Claims of undeserved examination passes at Ysgol Friars do not appear to have been investigated, nor when Foden's own union, the NEU, took action against him. There was much anger over the no school meals policy for children who had 2p of debt during the pandemic and also the video of the alleged assault on a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle -
Head teacher filmed appearing to grab pupil by scruff of the neck
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/head-teacher-filmed-appearing-grab-22967578
Much of what Foden did made the press and social media. Concerns were raised about his behaviour at Gwynedd's education/economy scrutiny committee - on more than one occasion. This committee are also investigating safeguarding in schools but it is unlikely their own lack of action will be examined in any detail.
Dewi Jones, the cabinet member for education, is leading the investigation.
The panel's draft report, originally due in September 2025, then
11th December 2025, has now been delayed until 12th February 2026.
The
reason being that members forgot to include the voices of children in
the investigation...
More information can be found in the Education/Economy draft forward programme -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/s46071/2025-10-16%20Education%20and%20Economy%20Scrutiny%20Committee%20Forward%20Programme%202025-26.pdf
So what of Gwynedd's Scrutiny Forum?
This Forum is made up of the chair and vice chair of each scrutiny committee and aided by senior officers it decides on what is of importance for investigation and/or discussion at forward meetings.
Has Foden ever been the subject of discussion by this forum, or any of the other 'informal' scrutiny meetings, not open to the public..?
What of the monitoring officer and the legal team's advice to senior officers over the years?
Did they not raise questions re Foden with the senior officers?
Were they advising senior officers?
The Genieve Woods report has already led to two senior officers within children's SS being 'absent from work' Perhaps the child practice review will highlight how these girls were failed?
Some may say that it was the procedures that failed, but the procedures could only be robust if they were implemented in a timely and correct manner by those whose job it was to protect children...
Those will include school governors, the former head(s) of education, cabinet member(s), senior officers within social services and the safeguarding/child protection team.
It should come as no surprise - though many will claim it to be - that some of these officers are the same ones responsible
for allowing social workers to bully, undertake fake assessments on children, interfere in
investigations and mislead the Obudsman for Wales. One social worker appears to have been promoted after giving
evidence to an investigation that was later called out as 'disingenuous' by
the PSOW.
The Ffordd Gwynedd way...?
The director of Gwynedd SS, Huw Dylan Owen, spoke of the embarrassment to come during his presentation of his Annual Report at a meeting of the full council. His report can be found in the agenda pack -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5504
Owen will have had knowledge of the Genevieve Woods report since March.
His report appears to have been written at the same time as it contains little new information since then. No statement on the head of SS, Marian Parry Hughes, still 'absent from work'.
It is presumed that the complaints manager is also 'absent from work', due to his lack of input in the complaints handling report.
Having these officers 'absent from work' may have improved some aspects of the department but their wages are considerable and that means that children's services are losing out on £4 to £5K a week.
One would hope that Owen will have spent some time going through past cases involving these officers looking for anything of concern. It is not likely that reports written by these officers will properly inform the director. Has he read the investigative reports created by the Canolfan Brynffynnon affair and associated 'employment' investigation reports?
A reminder that draft reports are often more informative as not all criticism of individuals/departments make the final cut...
Then there are the several PSOW investigations...
A public inquiry is needed.
Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...
