When a child enters the care of a local authority, the council becomes their corporate parent. This means that every councillor has a responsibility to act in the best interests of that child, just as any parent would for their own child.
Councillors have a responsibility for all children in their communities - not just those in care.
This includes ensuring access to education, healthcare and youth services.
But safeguarding children is paramount...
Local authorities provide safeguarding training for councillors and officers...
This training will cover everything from interfamilial abuse, county lines, child exploitation and child sexual abuse. It will also include those in a position of trust who abuse...
Dyfrig Siencyn, the former leader of cyngor Gwynedd council, only completed his safeguarding training on 24th September, 2024, three weeks before he resigned after refusing to apologise to the survivors of Neil Foden.
Richard Medwyn Hughes, a school governor at Ysgol Friars during Foden's reign only completed the council's safeguarding training on the 8th January, 2025. Hughes resigned after Foden's arrest but is now back as governor...
Beca Brown, the former cabinet member for Education who resigned in protest at Siencyn's actions, only completed her training on the 22nd January, 2025.
Some councillors have attended safeguarding workshops every four years or so.
Other councillors have not attended any at all...
.
Last year, Dafydd Gibbard, the CEO of cyngor Gwynedd commissioned a piece of work to better understand the position of the council's 'looked after children'. When will that report be published?
Does it include the work of the Fostering team?
How many looked after children have been excluded from school?
Were any of Foden's victims looked after children..?
The Welsh Government have recently published a report -
Children on the Margins
It contains a lot of information on child criminal exploitation, sexually exploited children and homeless children across Wales.
It includes -
Some observed that the age of children going missing is getting
younger. One professional suggested that children aged 12-14 were most
at risk. Others indicated that they are seeing more girls going
missing than before...
Also -
Others highlighted the increased likelihood of neurodivergent children being excluded from education settings, which means that they do not benefit from the protective qualities of education establishments...
The full report can be found here -
https://senedd.wales/media/xmhhaypg/cr-ld16844-e.pdf
How many neurodivergent children or those with ALN are, or have been, excluded from Gwynedd schools?
For those with ALN, most will have an Individual Development Plan (IDP).
From the Snap Cymru website - 
https://www.snapcymru.org/get-support/idps/
In Wales, children with ALN have an IDP, of which there are two types, school/college maintained or local authority maintained.
Cyngor Gwynedd also use what they call a 'forum IDP'...
This does not exist in law, but makes it look like a child is getting more support than a school maintained IDP - this is not the case....
Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...
