Deny Delay Deflect - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Sally Holland, former children's commissioner, spoke at the full cabinet meeting of cyngor Gwynedd held on the 11th November, 2025. As the chair of the council's response board, set up after the abuse of children by Neil Foden, Holland presented the - 
QUARTERLY REPORT TO CABINET: RESPONSE PLAN PROGRAMME BOARD
which can be found here -  
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=46340

  

The webcast of the cabinet meeting can be viewed here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/1034943

Holland states the overarching objectives of the board are - 
Acknowledge, Apologise, Support, Establish, Learn, Improve and be Accountable.
So who are the four cabinet members providing accountability to the public...?

Dewi Jones, the cabinet member for education, is surely one of the four.
When will he make a statement on the failings of the governing body at Ysgol Friars? 
First and foremost, Neil Foden was accountable to the school governors.

From 2018, Pickles highlights - Child A reports concern re Foden’s relationship with Child C. Education speaknto Foden. Reported to LA1 C&FS and NWP.

The chair and vice chair of governors were NWP officers - Essie Ahari and Keith Horton.

The former head of education, Garem Jackson, after being contacted by a whistleblower met with senior officers of the children's deparment. Pickles writes - 
The meeting was deemed not to be a child protection meeting and was instead regarded as being for the consideration of a ‘professional issue.
ie senior officers appeared to be more concerned for Foden's reputation...

The former director of SS, Morwena Edwards was not a social worker, her background was finance, and she would have relied heavily on the advice of the now absent from work, Marian Parry Hughes and Dafydd Paul, senior safeguarding and quality officer.
Cyngor Gwynedd's legal team advised the officers...

Jan Pickles conducted an 'Extended' Child Practice Review, which means that some of the children Neil Foden abused were 'in care' at the time of the abuse or the preceding 6 months.
Were any of the children in foster care?
One child was living in a hostel. The hostel manager raised concerns in 2018.

Anglesey council (LA2) also raised concerns  - 
LA2 informed LA1 C&FS Senior Manager LADO that had Foden been a professional working in LA2, a meeting would have been convened under Part 4 of the AWCPP 2008.

The NSPCC are also scathing about Gwynedd's LADO -
From the Pickles review - my highlight...

At this time, Dilwyn Morgan, was cabinet member for children and family.
His tenure is best remembered for the Ombudsman for Wales reports highlighting serious concerns and failings within the children's SS, including social workers faking assessments on children.
Will Morgan be giving a statement of what he knew...?

It was a busy time for the SS department as the PSOW also found serious failings within the adult's department. The cabinet member with responsibility for the department was then Dafydd Meurig.
Treatment of one adult in Gwynedd's care was so bad it made the Ombudsman's Equality & Human Rights Casebook-2019/20

https://www.ombudsman.wales/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/104483-Equality-and-Human-Rights-Casebook_Eng_v03.pdf

Neil Foden was an abusive bully, who used inadequate 'policies and procedures' to protect himself from investigation and censure. Complaints were ignored or dealt with badly. If the complaint was serious enough then the 'vexatious complainant' rule could be used to shut the complaint down.

Page 79 of the Pickles review -  

 

The Pickles review can be found here -
 https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/30.10.25-FINAL-ENGLISH-CPR-REPORT-_.pdf

Foden smeared those who challenged him and reversed blame onto the victim - Darvo.
Blame the children - blame the parents - deny delay deflect.

In other news, the Governance and Audit committee were made aware of concerns within the county's care homes. Little information given and little action taken despite a lay member's grave concerns. 
Also 'bedblocking' has been a major issue for years now with the adult SS coming in for criticism...

Internal audits still show issues with staff training and breakfast clubs in particular -

 

The reports can be found in the agenda pack - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5460/Public%20reports%20pack%2009th-Oct-2025%2010.00%20Governance%20and%20Audit%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

 

 

Publish The Woods Report - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

The Extended Child Practice Review, by Jan Pickles, into Neil Foden and his abuse of children in Gwynedd has finally been published.

An 'extended' CPR is undertaken when children were receiving care from the council at the time of the abuse. This care will presumably involve social workers of the children's SS, the 16+ team, the fostering team and perhaps youth justice - and no-one noticed...?

"We're employed to do a job, and that job is keeping children safe. In this case, Ysgol Friars failed, the Education Department failed, Children's Services failed, the local authority failed."
Jan Pickles OBE
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2025-11-05/appalling-failure-allowed-paedophile-headteacher-to-run-reign-of-terror

Officials of the teachers union, NASUWT, are also scathing - 
“The report is right to highlight the courage of the child victims who exposed the criminal activities of Neil Foden in his role as the leading headteacher in Gwynedd Local Authority. Their courage stands in marked contrast to the total lack of moral courage by senior officials in the local authority.
Another - 
Processes and procedures must be followed objectively, dispassionately and fairly. There must be Independence and accountability. This has not happened in Gwynedd.” 
https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/nasuwt-responds-foden-case-child-practice-review.html

What say local members of Unison and Unite within the cooncil? 
A public inquiry is needed...

In her review, Jan Pickles notes  - 


Anglesey council is LA2 Children's Services.
The LA1 C&FS is Gwynedd children & family department.
Jan Pickles review can be found in full here - 
https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/30.10.25-FINAL-ENGLISH-CPR-REPORT-_.pdf

The most senior officers with responsibility for safeguarding children in 2019 were the former director of SS, Morwena Edwards, the head of children and family department, Marian Parry Hughes and the senior safeguarding and quality officer/LADO, Dafydd Paul. 

The barrister, Genevieve Woods, was commissioned to investigate the actions of senior officers re Neil Foden in 2019. Her report should give more detail of the missed opportunities and exactly when cyngor Gwynedd's legal team became involved.
When will the Woods report be released..?

In other news, councillors are to receive a payrise...
The Democracy Services Committee held on the 4th, November discussed - 

and...

The full agenda pack can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5641/Public%20reports%20pack%2004th-Nov-2025%2010.00%20Democracy%20Services%20Committee.pdf?T=10 

A report from Mari Edwards, Learning and Development Manager updated the committee on training for councillors. The report is not good -

One member became so incensed that councillors were not attending training, he threatened to go to the press...

The committee is not webcast and so not available for later viewing by councillors or the public. 

A report authored by Vera Jones, Democracy and Language Manager, asks members to consider extending the number of council meetings broadcast. This stems from a Welsh Government consultation published in July- 
https://www.gov.wales/consultation-extending-duty-local-authorities-broadcast-meetings-html

On the 7th November,  the North Wales CJC Economic Well-being Sub-committee held a meeting to discuss the North Wales Growth Deal Performance and Risk report for the second quarter - 
 https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/s46336/North%20Wales%20Growth%20Deal%20-%20Quarter%202%20Performance%20and%20Risk%20Report.pdf

This meeting was then closed to the press and public. 

Later that day, the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee held a meeting to discuss the -
FLINTSHIRE AND WREXHAM INVESTMENT ZONE

This meeting also excluded the press and public...
The report can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5644/Public%20reports%20pack%2007th-Nov-2025%2012.00%20North%20Wales%20Corporate%20Joint%20Committee.pdf?T=10

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

‘Our Bravery Brought Justice’ Delayed Yet Again - Neil Foden Cyngor Gwynedd...

The Gwynedd Child Practice Review into paedophile headteacher Neil Foden, first due in early Spring, then late Spring, then September has been delayed yet again - 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp98739vz49o

‘Our Bravery Brought Justice' review led by Jan Pickles, appears to have been usurped by the North Wales Safeguarding Board, which released a statement on its website - 

The North Wales Safeguarding Board have made the decision to delay the publication of the Gwynedd Child Practice Review this month as it considers its legal obligations and information sharing further.
https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/gwynedd-child-practice-review/

The NWSB is made up of senior officers from various organisations including local councils, North Wales Police, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board and the Probation service.
https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/nwsab-members/

Cyngor Gwynedd's Corporate Director and their Head of Adults SS sit on the board.

There is considerable anger with the delay and, for many, it shows little thought for the survivors and their families, more an exercise in protecting reputations? 

Class actions against the council...
In other news, the Neil Foden case is still deemed a risk to the council by Gwynedd's Governance and Audit committee held on the 11th September. Article 4 was also highlighted as a risk but no mention of Canolfan Brynffynnon. Is that case also considered a risk?

Gwynedd's head of Finance also presented the draft accounts to the committee. They show money in reserves to be £592 million and usable reserves of £137 million...

Governance and Audit is the most important committee of a council and it is a surprise that cyngor Gwynedd do not webcast the meeting. The meetings, held over Zoom, are recorded but not available for later viewing by councillors nor the public. Not one member asked about the turmoil within the children's SS department, with senior officers still 'absent from work'.

Due to the make up of the G&A committee, not all members may be privy to the disclosures to councillors so it was disappointing that the Care Scrutiny committee, held on the 25th September, did not ask the interim head of children services, Aled Gibbard, if services were being affected. Hasn't the director of SS raised concerns..?

The agenda pack and SS Annual Complaints Handling reports can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5530/Public%20reports%20pack%2025th-Sep-2025%2010.00%20Care%20Scrutiny%20Committee.pdf?T=10

The report mirrors last years report, presented by the senior safeguarding officer, Dafydd Paul. It gives little information on the nature of the complaints and, as before, tries to divert attention by attacking vexatious customers. A reminder that the way senior officers report is not always accurate... 

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

 

 

Criteria For Derwen - Cyngor Gwynedd Council's Service For Disabled Children...

The admission by one of cyngor Gwynedd's interim heads of the children and families department that their reporting is not 'completely accurate' comes as no surprise. There have been questions to the integrity of the council's reports going back many years...

One early example is the Annual Report on the handling of complaints by Adult, Health and Well-being Department and the Children and Family Support Department for 2015-2016, written by the former workforce support manager. 
That report can be found here - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/s7887/Adroddiad%20Blynyddol%202015-16%20Sterfynol.pdf

The officer had personally led at least one of the investigations highlighted in her report which has been publicly called out as a whitewash. 

A Stage 2 complaint was raised. The investigator asked the customer care/complaint officers who the senior complaints manager was? Nobody knew...
Dafydd Paul, the council's senior safeguarding officer, then became active in the role from 2018. 

One recommendation from the Lost In Care report states - Every social services authority should be required to appoint an appropriately qualified or experienced children's complaints officer.

Since then, concerns to the integrity of the SS complaints handling reports have been raised with the council's democratic service, scrutiny committees, councillors and even cabinet members - all ignored. 
A question to possible data manipulation has also been ignored...

Cyngor Gwynedd has also had issues with completing recommendations for improvement and has been caught misleading government agencies in the past. A reminder that an investigation by the agencies will cease if a local authority accepts the recommendations...

Councillor Gwynfor Owen has recently raised questions of the criteria used to access Derwen, Gwynedd's service for disabled children. It is presumed the councillor was not content with the officer's response. Nor should he be. The 'criteria' has been called out as unlawful and discriminatory in the past. 

Pre pandemic, the PSOW made recommendations - agreed to by the council that - 
70. The Council should review its Derwen policy to ensure its criteria aligns with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010’s definition of ‘disability’, and ensure staff are informed about any changes (within three months). 

In 2020, the Ombudsman wrote of its expectations of the council re its Derwen policy -

In spite of the further (and immediate) reviews supposedly undertaken by cyngor Gwynedd, the Hugh Morgan OBE report also recommends  - 

 

The Hugh Morgan report begins -
 

His full report can be found here - 
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2021/04/finally-gwynedd-councils-autism-report.html 

Hugh Morgan, also recommends staff training in ASD, but according to information given to the PSOW by Gwynedd council this training has already been completed as a recommendation from a previous investigation. 

The Ombudsman for Wales recommendations from an investigation in 2018 include - 

Have councillors had sight of any of the various reviews mentioned?

The Ombudsman's office has been provided clear evidence of wrong doing by senior officers - not investigated. It has also apologised for the failings of one of its officers and the former PSOW had to personally apologise to one family for failings in another investigation after an independent review.

The former children's commissioner, Sally Holland, also did not properly engage when concerns with children's social workers were raised with her office, in 2016. However, her office did comment on the council's criteria -
The Commissioner and our policy officers are aware of the criteria issue and this information will inform their ongoing work with Welsh Government. 

Professor Holland is now chair of Gwynedd's response plan programme board set up after the sexual abuse of children by Neil Foden and the failings of senior officers to hold him to account. Holland recently updated the council's cabinet members and that webcast can be found here - 
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/999635

In other news, the ICO has concluded a review into the council's handling of FOI requests. Gwynedd council are stating that it has been ranked 'reasonable'. Some FOI requestors would disagree. Has any councillor sighted the review from the ICO?

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...