Cyngor Gwynedd Council Reinstate Officer After 9 Year Suspension...

Cyngor Gwynedd council will not (yet) release the report by the barrister, Genevieve Woods.
Woods report looks at the circumstances from 2019 and how senior officers dealt with concerns raised with regard to Neil Foden...

From a BBC article -
She looked at 2019 because, during Foden's trial, the council's former head of education Garem Jackson said that was when he made a senior safeguarding officer aware of concerns about Foden's "close relationship" with some teen girls.
He said he was advised there was no need for a formal investigation as no official complaint had been made.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2njvjwzko

In 2019, the Director of Gwynedd SS, with ultimate responsibility for safeguarding children was Morwena Edwards. Others with responsibility for safeguarding in the childrens department -
Marian Parry Hughes (Head of Children and Family)
Aled Gibbard (Assistant Head Children/Resources)
Dafydd Paul (Senior Safeguarding and Quality/complaints manager)

Edwards quit the council in 2022, at the same time a report was received into the Canolfan Brynffynnon referral unit, it is believed.

The PRU has made the news recently -
https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/25090281.gwynedd-referral-unit-pupils-saw-staff-bullying-children/

Did these officers have knowledge of, or were any of them instrumental in the suspensions of three members of staff that lasted 9 years? It is reported that two of the staff members have taken redundancy and one is still employed by the council.

Gwynedd council actually dismissed the one officer...
A case against cyngor Gwynedd for wrongful dismissal was brought to Employment Tribunal. On the 23rd December, 2024, the case was struck out.
Because the council had reinstated the officer...

The tribunal hears evidence from both sides and then makes a judgement.
Judgement reports are detailed and give the names of officers involved.
Was the dismissed staff member reinstated to avoid details of the case becoming public knowledge and the officers involved being named?

Presumably, this case would have gone before the council's Employment Appeals Committee?
So what do members of that committee know?

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

                                      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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...