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...

Focus On Appropriate 'Behaviours' - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

For too many years, Cabinet members and other Gwynedd councillors have turned a blind eye to the behaviours and maladministration of senior officers but it is the CEO and leader of the council who are ultimately responsible for the culture of their organisation...

Cyngor Gwynedd's executive officers have commented on the culture within the council. They give little detail - and any insights are hidden amongst word salads with no explanations given. The comments can be found amongst the Ffordd Gwynedd report -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/g4839/Public%20reports%20pack%2007th-Mar-2023%2013.00%20The%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10

The report by the leader of the council, Dyfrig Siencyn, and Geraint Owen, Corporate Director states  -  
...This is all rooted in a change of culture, behaviours and mind-set and its aim of realising the ambition across all parts of the Council's activities is acknowledged as a substantial challenge and one which requires a comprehensive programme of support...

The report starting at page 18 begins well enough with the present CEO stating -
Building on the culture and way of working, which is based on the principle of providing the best possible services to the residents of our county, with every one of us supporting each other to achieve this, is central to the Council's vision. The aspiration to ensure continuous improvement can already be seen widely across the Council and the next step is to ensure that nothing prevents us from embedding that mindset further and aim to improve even further what is already being delivered" (Chief Executive)

But the leader and executive officer are more honest -
...in order to maintain the "way of working", the mindset must be changed above anything else.
Doing the right things before making the things better" is the mantra. Unless we change the mindset before, or during, changing a process, we will certainly fail and the changes will not be sustained in the long-term.

The executive are adamant that they will focus on collaboration and developing appropriate leadership behaviours
Also - Develop methods to nurture an environment where managers feel safe to declare that performance is not up to scratch.

But it is officers of a lesser paygrade and the public that do not feel safe. What methods have been developed by the executive to protect them? Recording all telephone calls to the council would be a start. Removing the senior safeguarding officer from his role as the senior complaints handling manager? Ensuring that cabinet members have the conviction to challenge the departments they have responsibility for? How are the exit interviews going?

Other nuggets from the executive incude -
Each person working for the Council should have a job description setting out core expectations for their role, duties and way of working.
Focus on appropriate 'Behaviours'
Acting on the basis of evidence, rather than on the basis of what appears to be logical, is one of the cornerstones of the "way of working"and here there is an important function to ensure that managers and their teams use the information and data available to its full potential.

"Acting on the basis of evidence, rather than on the basis of what appears to be logical..."
This admission is the most frightening. That senior officers have acted without evidence on the basis of their unconscious and conscious biases...?
Which officers? Which cases? How many people harmed? What cost?

In other news, there is a bin strike in Gwynedd. This is another crisis of the council's own making. Relationships between the staff and senior officers have not recovered since the pandemic when a bonus was denied the essential workers. -

From the article by Gareth Williams, July,2020.-
Sent to the authority’s leader and chief executive, the letter notes: “In our view its totally unfair to expect us to work through this period on standard pay while the majority of (council) staff have been sent home on full pay or are working from home.
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gwynedd-bin-collectors-call-front-18556569

Now there is a cost of living crisis and the council are again digging in their heels...

Also the Education and Economy scrutiny committee met on the 14th September 2023, Due to legal matters, scrutiny of the Education officer was presumably constrained. This meeting, like so many others, was plagued by technical difficulties during the live feed and following the dicussion became impossible. The translated feed has still not been uploaded to the council's website...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...