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...

                          

                

Child Sex Abuse - Neil Foden - Cyngor Gwynedd...

Neil Foden, has been found guilty of sexual offences against children.
The Headmaster of Ysgol Friars in Bangor, Gwynedd was also Strategic Head at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, in Penygroes. It is presumed that Foden's considerable salary has still been paid by Gwynedd council since his arrest in September, last year.

Could Foden have been stopped...?

The trial heard evidence from Garem Jackson, former Head of Education at cyngor Gwynedd, that concerns were raised about Foden in 2019. The concerns raised by another senior teacher were not acted upon and instead Garem Jackson was advised to have a chat with Foden about the issues raised. Jackson outed the whistleblower to Foden during the subsequent telephone conversation.
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2024-04-30/authorities-failed-to-investigate-former-accused-headteacher-over-concerns

Garem Jackson was advised by (presumably?) the senior safeguarding officer for children at Gwynedd council and while Jackson made no record of the concerns raised, surely this safeguarding officer would have done...?

The children's safeguarding officer wears many hats at the council. For several years, he has held the position of senior safeguarding and quality officer for children's SS and is also the department's senior complaints officer. The two roles are not compatible and concerns have been raised with regard to his 'independence' during complaint investigations.

He is also a registered social worker, the register until recently showing 'Gwynedd' to be this officer's 'county of work address/county of study'. For some reason this is now not the case and instead the register states 'not applicable' under this heading. 

Foden - How could this happen? 
"You were a powerful figure, you thought you could just do as you liked," Judge Rowlands added.
He said it was worrying that when concerns were first raised to Gwynedd county council about Foden in 2019 by a senior member of staff, "they were dismissed out of hand, no investigation took place, no note was taken of what was said or done, and now we know you continued to offend".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce43313v37eo

The culture of cover up by senior officers at Gwynedd council has been well documented in previous posts. Both Garem Jackson and the senior safeguarding officer have refused to answer questions from scrutiny members in the past - along with the former cabinet member for children.
How has this been allowed?

People who do speak out have been smeared by senior officers and ignored by local councillors. From cabinet members through to scrutiny committee members - complicit in the toxic culture that has been allowed to continue to cover for incompetence and protect reputational damage...

What happens next...?
A council spokeswoman said -
Due to the serious nature of the case, arrangements are being made to carry out an independent review in accordance with national Child Practice Review guidelines.
The exact form of the review is currently being determined.

With cyngor Gwynedd being found, by the Ombudsman for Wales, to have interfered in a past 'independent' investigation and other independent investigations delayed for years, how can the public have confidence that any review into such serious matters will be any different? Will cyngor Gwynedd engage in an open, honest and transparent manner...?

Better a proper public inquiry with the power to call witnesses...
Those witnesses should include the former CEO, Dilwyn Williams and the former Director of SS, Morwena Edwards. Both were in post in 2019 with ultimate responsibility for the actions of officers.

A reminder that both left the council just as the final investigation report into the two teachers suspended for 9 years was to be released. There has still been no official statement from the council nor details of the cost to the public purse. This case would also have involved the safeguarding officers and the former Head of Education...

Questions also need to be asked of the school Governors. Did they not notice Foden's behaviour? Were concerns raised with them...?

And what of the two historic complaints that were recently revealed in the delayed 2022/23 SS complaint handling report...?

Something is so very, 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...

 

 

 

 

"No Matter What The Wish Of The Individual May Be" - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

With regard to the previous post, the Corporate Director of Cyngor Gwynedd council SS departments, Morwena Edwards, has given her explanation of the statements made to the Care Scrutiny Committee by the CEO, Dilwyn Williams and the senior complaints manager, Dafydd Paul, in particular - bearing in mind the Ombudsman for Wales has denied instructing the council.

"The Ombudsman is correct in his replies to your queries that he did not explicitly request that Gwynedd Council contact you by telephone to offer and/or arrange these assessments."

Interesting wording - and they were anything but queries...
Morwena continues - 
"However, the Ombudsman’s office was clear that they expected us to be pro–active in response to their findings that we provide these assessments.After obtaining legal advice, our interpretation of the Ombudsman’s recommendation led us to conclude that contacting you directly to offer you and your family the comprehensive assessment of your needs referred to above was the most appropriate course of action. This action was taken in good faith as part of our sincere effort to meet the terms of the Ombudsman’s recommendation.I wish to sincerely apologise for the confusion and distress that the subsequent telephone call to you on 14/11/19 caused, and I accept that we should have taken into account that you had previously requested that communication between your family and the Council should only be conducted via email.In response to your second point above,  

I acknowledge that the quote from the transcript you provided of Mr Paul’s statement to the Care Scrutiny Committeeon 14/11/19 is what was conveyed to the Committee."

So did the senior complaints manager mislead Councillors of the Committee?

"However, I must disagree with your assertion that his statement was made deliberately to mislead the Committee in some way about how Gwynedd Council were intending to meet the Ombudsman’s recommendations contained in his report." 

But, if the Ombudsman had given the council no such instruction why did the officer spend so much time telling Councillors that he had ?
"...the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be..."

"Mr Paul’s statement to the Committee is consistent with the prevailing interpretation of this specific recommendation from the Ombudsman by Gwynedd Council at that time. In order to meet the recommendation, we decided that all methods be explored in order to comprehensively assess your family’s needs."

'...consistent with the prevailing interpretation...' What. does. that. even. mean ?
Regardless - the Ombudsman has denied the words of Dafydd Paul -

"given them a further challenge, to make sure that someone goes to see the family, meet the family, ensure that they receive that assessement and that is something that we have now arranged with the adult services, to go into that situation on the Ombudsman's behalf, despite the fact that they have not expressed a wish to receive the service, our usual ethos involves intervention but only if the person invites us in and wishes for us to intervene in this way, the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be, so that is now our response to that challenge provided by the Ombudsman." (translated)

Morwena Edwards continues -
"The action of being proactive in offering you and your family these assessments was seen as vital to meeting the Ombudsman’s directions, and was interpreted as being a requirement implicitly arising from that recommendation." 

There is that word 'interpretation' again. Anyway the recommendation referred to has been ignored since 2010, and again in 2017. Two social worker's were assigned to carry out that task in 2018, alongside another Ombudsman's recommendation. After completing one piece of work - badly - they did not return as they had said they would.

The Ombudsman has called the Director's thinking as 'illogical' in a past investigation. What could be said now ?

Something is seriously wrong within Gwynedd council.

 

Did Cyngor Gwynedd Council Senior Officer's Mislead A Care Scrutiny Committee ?

At a Cyngor Gwynedd council Care Scrutiny Committee meeting of November 14th, 2019, the senior Complaints manager, Dafydd Paul, told Councillors that the Ombudsman for Wales -

"given them a further challenge, to make sure that someone goes to see the family, meet the family, ensure that they receive that assessement and that is something that we have now arranged with the adult services, to go into that situation on the Ombudsman's behalf, despite the fact that they have not expressed a wish to receive the service, our usual ethos involves intervention but only if the person invites us in and wishes for us to intervene in this way, the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be, so that is now our response to that challenge provided by the Ombudsman." (translated)

The assessment mentioned would have been the third assessment undertaken by the council in three years - the previous two were called out by the family as 'fake' and predetermined ie set up to fail.

Confirmation was asked from Mr Dafydd Paul, or failing that the CEO, Dilwyn Williams, himself, that what was stated to the Care Scrutiny Committee was in fact true. The officer's did not reply.

 

So the Ombudsman for Wales office was contacted. 

 

After viewing the council's webcast, one senior Investigator confirmed the words spoken by the officer's were not correct but could not speak for the Ombudsman himself.

Nick Bennett was then approached for comment - he too denied the words of the senior officer's....

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council. 

                             

Finally - Gwynedd Council's Autism Report - Unredacted.

The unredacted Autism Report that the Head of Cyngor Gwynedd Children and Family's Department, Marian Parry Hughes, said would not be released unredacted.

BCUHB (West) region, Gwynedd, Mon and Conwy

Evidence and Data provided by some of the usual suspects....

AG: Alex Gibbard(Senior Operational Manager, Children’s Disabilities Services)

DL: David Lewis (Social Work Team Manager, Derwen)

NP: Non Pierce (Senior Social Worker, Derwen)

CB: Christine Burns (Practitioner Manager, North Wales Integrated Autism Service)

DP: Dafydd Paul (Senior Safeguarding and Quality officer GCCC)

LW: Lowri Williams (Customer Care Officer, Gwynedd CC)

JEH: Janw Hughes Evans (Head of Nursing Children’s Services, BCUHB)

SCW: Sharron Carter Williams (Senior Operational Manager,Children’s Services)

EH: Elliw Hughes, (Referral Team Manager, Children’s Services) 

Now renamed the 'Derwen Report' for some reason.....Dont mention the A word Sshh.

T