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... 

 

 

 

 

Does 'Absent From Work' Mean Suspended? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

The publication of the Jan Pickles review, first due in spring, then late spring has been delayed again and is now expected in September...
https://www.northwalessafeguardingboard.wales/gwynedd-child-practice-review/

Cyngor Gwynedd has still not published the Genevieve Woods report received in March.
The barrister was commissioned by the council to investigate the council's handling of matters relating to  paedophile Neil Foden in 2019. A teacher from Ysgol Friars blew the whistle to Garem Jackson, former head of education at the council, who then sought the advice of a council safeguarding officer.

From the BBC -
Top officials at council which employed paedophile head 'absent from work'
An email sent to Gwynedd councillors by the authority's chief executive stated there were arrangements in place to lead its children and family support department while the head and deputy head are absent...

It goes on to add -
BBC Wales understands four members of staff were part of the decision not to investigate at the time, and a BBC Wales Investigates programme into the case revealed three of those were still employed by the council.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c15nzl058z1o

The head of children and families is Marian Parry Hughes but who is the deputy head?

According to a recent FOI response, the children's SS department does not have a deputy head but names three assistant heads -
Aled Gibbard, Sharron Williams Carter and Dafydd Paul.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/structure_chart_social_services_7/response/2917001/attach/html/5/Children%20Department%20Organisational%20Chart%202024.pdf.html

Two of the three assistant heads, Aled Gibbard and Sharron Williams Carter, have been given temporary leadership of the Children and Families Department under the guidance of the director of SS, Dylan Owen.

Does 'absent from work' mean suspended and what of the fourth officer?

Last year, Dafydd Gibbard, CEO of cyngor Gwynedd commissioned a report into the county's looked after children. When will that report be made public?

It is presumed this action was in response to the revelation by Dylan Owen, the director of SS, of one child costing £25K a week and another child living in a caravan...

Were any of Neil Foden's victims children that were in the care of the council?
Do the historic complaints from 2014, that the children's SS department reported last year, involve looked after children?

In other news, Aled Davies, the head of Gwynedd Adults SS department will leave his post in July when Mari Wynne Jones will take up the role. Jones is a social worker and has worked for the council for 25 years...

Something is still very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Not My Shame...?

Cyngor Gwynedd held a full council meeting on the 1st, May, 2025.
The agenda pack can be found here -

https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//mgChooseDocPack.aspx?ID=5167

The meeting passed a motion raised by councillor Beca Brown.

The #NotMyShame motion was in response to the actions of paedophile headteacher, Neil Foden.
Brown was the former cabinet member for Education, who resigned last year in protest at the council leader's handling of the matter and was vocal in calling for a full public inquiry...

Brown mentioned that child abuse can happen '...more often than not in their own homes.'
Gwynedd has a long history of child abuse and many of the abusers have been those in a position of trust. A reminder that cyngor Gwynedd has recently reported an increase in allegations against those in a position of trust. 

But what happens when someone blows the whistle?
In 2019, the then head of education, Garem Jackson, was contacted by a teacher with concerns of Foden's closeness to children. After seeking advice from a safeguarding officer, Jackson simply had a chat with Foden about his behaviour and also outed the whistleblower to him.

 

A reminder that the council sacked a social worker who blew the whistle on the last child sexual abuse scandal. 

 

A recent survey of Gwynedd staff revealed many would NOT blow the whistle on wrongdoing - including sexual abuse. Fear of retribution...?
Is this the 'culture' that the executive officers say must change...?
It has never been explained what the culture was that needed to change...

There were other opportunities to stop Foden.
Were claims of undeserved examination passes at Ysgol Friars investigated?
Judgements from Employment Tribunals are published online and it is presumed that senior officers would have knowledge of the case as well as the school governors.

Then there was a ruling against Foden for unprofessional conduct...

There was also the video of Foden allegedly showing him grabbing a pupil by the scruff of the neck.
What action did Garem Jackson and the school governors at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle take?

Councillors of Gwynedd's Education and Economy Scrutiny committee did raise this issue at one meeting but Jackson refused to answer though he did promise the committee an update. (Gwynedd officers are sometimes reluctant to give information within public meetings and some councillors are given more details afterwards)

So were committee members informed?
What actions did members and the then cabinet member for Education take?
The committee is currently investigating Foden and their report should be completed soon.

Many will find it ... distasteful that the Not My Shame campaign flag is to be flown above the heads of a council who could and should have stopped Foden years ago. 

 

Councillors could be asking for the Woods report to be published.
They could also ask for the Canolfan Brynffynnon reports.

The webcast of the meeting can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/981083

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

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...