Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Falsus In Uno, Falsus In Omnibus

Cyngor Gwynedd council have now appointed Huw Dylan Owen as Director of Social Services. The former Director had no experience of social service matters so someone with the correct background for the position hopefully meant that the past maladministration and failings within the services would not be repeated...

Bearing in mind, that Gwynedd council have admitted that the culture within the council needs to change, it is disappointing that the present director appears to be behaving in the same manner as his predecessor. In his annual report, presented to the council earlier this year, he states - .
...no young person from Gwynedd has been remanded since 2020.

This is not true and while the council may argue this was correct at the time of writing - it was most certainly not at the time of publication. Mr Owen's generic report also states -
Another example is that we refused to welcome Youth Justice inspectors as they were unable to guarantee bilingual inspectors, and they agreed to delay their inspection until this was possible.

How long ago was the last inspection?
It is unacceptable that the youth justice inspectors are not bilingual, but this does mean that the service avoids inspection by an outside agency and should be of concern to all...

Moving on, Mr Owen mentions feedback and recommendations from government regulators, perhaps not realising Gwynedd council has a history of agreeing to recommendations and then ignoring them...

The director goes on -
Unfortunately, cases have arisen where things go wrong and where we have not provided a service of the expected high standard. There is a statutory complaints procedure in place to ensure that we receive feedback, and respond to any concerns so that we do not repeat mistakes. Reference has already been made to the main trends of the complaints for this year, and an official summary will appear before the Care Scrutiny Committee in September 2023. We intend to place our complaints report and comments on the Council’s website in the future so that they are available to the public.

Gwynedd council's democratic services were recently asked for a copy of the report that the director informed at a previous meeting was available for members on request. It took a second email asking for an update to which an officer replied with -

The annual Social Services complaints handling reports have been presented to Cabinet and Scrutiny in the past but the reports for 2022/23 are yet to be scheduled to be presented to a committee meeting.

This word salad from the democracy service ignores the fact that the statutory documents have not been presented for proper scrutiny for nearly five years and confirms yet another statement from the director's report that is incorrect.

The children and adults complaints handling reports are important documents. Alongside the Director's Annual report they are the first documents to be read by government agencies as a snapshot of how the departments are performing. They may also be read by investigators when more serious concerns are raised.

A reminder that these reports have been called out for their disingenuity and data manipulation since 2016 and no complaints handling report has been presented to the care scrutiny committee since 2019...

For what its worth, the report from the director can be found here -
https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Council/Documents---Council/Performance-and-spending/Adroddiad-y-Cyfarwyddwr-Gwasanaethau-Cymdeithasol-22-23-SAES-2.pdf

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council... 

 

Director of Cyngor Gwynedd Council Social Services To Leave Post.

More change at Cyngor Gwynedd council as the Director of Social Services is leaving...

Morwena Edwards, whose background is finance was employed as Director of Adult and Children's Social Services in 2012.

The Director of Gwynedd SS is to leave her post in the summer - a year after the Chief Executive Officer retired..

To lose a chief executive officer in the midst of a pandemic was...unfortunate. To lose two such senior officers in just over a year suggests every officer for themselves...

Is another scandal about to come to light?

How long does it take a Monitoring Officer to respond to an FOI request for an internal review?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

5 Gwynedd Care Homes Placed Under 'Escalating Concerns Procedure'.

Cyngor Gwynedd Council have published a report that went before the Care Scrutiny Committee on the 30th, Sept, 2021 entitled - The Quality Assurance Service within the Safeguarding Unit.  

The purpose of this report is to offer an overview of the work of the Quality Assurance Unit within the Adults, Health and Well-being Department of Gwynedd Council. It is intended to focus on the demand and the impact of the work in the context of providing care services for vulnerable residents in the County.

Towards the end of 2020, several safeguarding reports were received claiming that suitable care was not being provided within five homes in the County. In response to this, face-to-face monitoring was undertaken and three care homes and two nursing homes within the county were placed under the Escalating Concerns procedure.

Owing to the monitoring work, an embargo on new placements was imposed on the five homes, and two now have a conditional embargo in terms of the number of new residents who may be admitted.

If any provision under-performs and that an embargo on admissions or placements is in place, it has a significant impact on the area teams in terms of their ability to place or use that service. It also has a significant effect on the individuals and their families as it is not always possible to place people within their preferred area or receive a specific service in their community in a timely manner.

The report states that one nursing home and two care homes have closed in Gwynedd over the past two years and concludes with mentioning the Magaret Flynn Review (2012) and the Winterbourne View Hospital scandal - twice. Why reference institutional abuse of those with autism and learning difficulties in a care setting from a decade ago ?

The full report can be found here - https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/s31392/Adroddiad%20Saesneg%20Sicrwydd%20Ansawdd%20-%20Pwyllgor%20Craffu%2030%2009%202021.pdf

The report makes for uncomfortable reading - but these issues have been known for years.
It also makes no mention of serious incidents such as - 
"Care 'failings' before man choked to death on toast"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51388454

From the BBC article - "The report said there was no documentation relating to the awarding of the care contract to Cartrefi Cymru or any specific terms relating to Mr N's care needs and the responsibilities of parties involved in his care.
It was also found there was no documentation to demonstrate the council, as lead commissioner, had monitored the delivery of care to Mr N. "

No documents. No monitoring of publicly funded care delivery. No social worker. No care.

So what is happening within the care homes for those with Dementia ?

"What inspectors found at Gwynedd care home featured in undercover exposé"
The Pines in Criccieth was featured on S4C's Byd a Bedwar
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/what-inspectors-found-gwynedd-care-15843830

What of Adults with Autism in care ?

"69. - In my view, these failings not only caused Mr A a significant injustice but also impacted upon Article 8 of his Human Rights. However, I have decided that the finding I have made of maladministration is so clear and so serious that to consider the human rights issues further would add little value to my analysis or to the outcome.I have therefore decided to say no more about that."

The full Ombudsman's report can be found here - 
http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ombudsman-Gwynedd-Council-report-201700388.pdf

Recommendations from this report included -
81 (f) Reviews its process on monitoring commissioned services for adults.
The council agreed to complete this work by January, 2019...

Will the Children's department be producing such a report ?
What happened in the case of the vulnerable 15 year old, living in a caravan during his placement at a care setting in Gwynedd ?

"Schoolboy 'wrapped in cling film and gagged by children's home staff'
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2020-01-29/schoolboy-wrapped-in-cling-film-and-gagged-by-children-s-home-staff-says-hearing

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council.

 

 

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Nuance, Slippage And Non Compliance.

In 2019, the CEO of Cyngor Gwynedd, stated to Councillors that all the Ombudsman for Wales recommendations had been met 'bar a nuance'. This was not correct.

Five Ombudsman for Wales reports into Gwynedd Social Services departments over four years - with major recommendations of the Ombudsman ignored.  At this very moment a  piece of work is being prepared by the Adults department to present to the Ombudsman in the hope it will finally achieve compliance already overdue way before the pandemic. The author, Manon Trapp, was recently warned by the departing CEO that further 'slippage' will not be tolerated by the Ombudsman - so that will be an interesting document...if the council ever release it. Sshh...

This past year has seen a marked increase in complaints against the SS departments.
The present Director gives the reason for the increase as the result of a 'new' system of recording any expessions of dissatisfaction as a complaint. For several years, the departments recorded some complaints as enquiries only which would have affected the data on behaviours, performance and trends.

But, earlier this year, the Director herself downgraded a complaint to an enquiry so this makes no sense. The complaint concerned the actions of officer's that according to the senior safeguarding officer went against their very ethos - so maybe it does. Sshh...

Is Dafydd Gibbard, the new CEO, aware of the issues that the Ombudsman has uncovered over the last few years ? Of course, he is - the CEO has been with Gwynedd council since 2003 and would have heard all the stories. Nick Bennett has made quite plain his 'outrage' at the last incumbent and may already have been in contact with Mr Gibbard to ensure the new boss is aware of what is expected of him and the senior officer's. So much going on behind closed doors...

The SS department recently turned down a request for a copy of the Review of Autism Services, by Hugh Morgan, OBE, commissioned after a recommendation from an earlier Ombudsman's report - that was initially ignored. The complainants informal request was treated as a Freedom Of Information request by the Director and after the regulatory 20 days had passed the request was refused. After an Internal Review the Monitoring Officer overturned the SS decision and the report was finally released - though it is named the Derwen report for some reason. How confusing....Don't mention the A word. Sshh...

Think on that. A Monitoring Officer overturning the wishes of his own council's Director of Social Services. There has also been a recent change to the council's Constitution asked for by the Monitoring Officer that distances himself from the SS departments. What is going on...?
There appears to have been no proper scrutiny of council operations since before the pandemic and so much goes on behind the scenes unminuted and undocumented but this is not usual.

There has been a shuffling of positions within the Care Scrutiny committee too - a new Chair has been appointed. Dewi Roberts, who attempted to challenge the SS departments during his tenure has been replaced by the man he replaced, Eryl Jones-Williams - who did not. The Chair is the most important position on any committee and controls what will appear on the agenda - usually discussed and formulated at a pre-meeting with senior officers that is not open to the public and no minutes are taken.

Where is the voice of the Cabinet Members in all this ? Why the silence ?
£35,000 per annum plus expenses plus pension...comes with legal duties and responsibilities. Doesn't it? 

Care Inspectorate Wales ?
We do not investigate individual complaints.
Still..?

And what of another Ombudsman's investigation and the findings from 2018 -

"69. - In my view, these failings not only caused Mr A a significant injustice but also impacted upon Article 8 of his Human Rights.

 However, I have decided that the finding I have made of maladministration is so clear and so serious that to consider the human rights issues further would add little value to my analysis or to the outcome.I have therefore decided to say no more about that."

The recommendations ordered by the Ombudsman in this case were also not fully complied with.
Lessons learnt ?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council.

 

Report Slams Gwynedd Social Services - From 2001 Through 2008.

Six years after the creation of the new unitary Cyngor Gwynedd council - formed to replace the local authority that failed children during the North Wales child abuse scandal - the adult SS department had concerns flagged in a 2001 review of its services.

This Daily Post article from 2008 reports on a 'damning' review of social services in Gwynedd, undertaken in 2007, showing much needed improvement had still not been implemented by the department seven years later.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/report-slams-gwynedd-social-services-2809357 

15:35, 16 OCT 2008 Updated 05:01, 19 APR 2013 By Alex Hickey

GWYNEDD Council’s social services provision has been criticised in a damning report.

A joint review report conducted by Wales Audit Office and the care inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) has uncovered a catalogue of concerns including a failure to develop modern social services to allow vulnerable people to live full and independent lives and "inconsistent" levels of care and support across the county as a whole

Reviewers were "particularly concerned" that in adult services, many improvements, planned since the last review in 2001, had not been implemented.

They also identified an "urgent need" to change the way services were delivered.

Efforts had been made since the last joint review to increase spending on social services but reviewers found that it had not been used to best effect and the council needed to focus more on making the best use of the resources available.

In one of the few plus points the report praised the hard work of social services staff, who were being let down by the system they were working under. In children’s services, the review found that more had been done to improve aspects of practice and service following concerns about performance.

The council said it was "determined" to meet the challenges laid out in the report.

CSSIW chief inspector Rob Pickford said: "The review team has judged that social services in Gwynedd are inconsistent and improvements need to be made urgently in order to bring them up to the required standard. The council has not moved in the right direction to address its shortfalls, and it now needs to clearly demonstrate that it can address an increasingly challenging agenda and develop an effective response to the concerns raised in this joint review".

Auditor General for Wales, Jeremy Colman added: "Gwynedd is failing to provide social services which consistently meet the needs of all service users and is unable to demonstrate that investment in services has been used to best effect. The council needs to focus on developing a broad range of modern services, which provide better all round value for the resources expended."

The council’s strategic director of social services, Dafydd P Lewis, said that since the joint review was completed in 2007, a great deal of time and effort had been invested in modernising the sector.

"As a council we recognise that there is an extremely challenging improvement journey ahead. The fact that the report confirms that Gwynedd provides safe services for vulnerable people, that council staff are hard-working and committed to their work, and that councillors and staff in key positions have expressed a determination to achieve the change now required means that we are confident that we can deliver the necessary changes quickly and efficiently," he added.

Council leader Dyfed Edwards said: "This report confirms that the ‘traditional’ Gwynedd way of delivering social services is no longer an acceptable option and that we must modernise these services as a matter of urgency."

 https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/report-slams-gwynedd-social-services-2809357

Serious concerns, indeed. But all this was way back in the 80's and 90's...and 2000 through to 2008....
Things can only get better.

Why A Blog About Cyngor #Gwynedd Council ?

I feel it is time for a recap of the events that led to this blog being created.

The 2010 Independent Investigation - with all points upheld - was highly critical of Gwynedd SS and their management team in their treatment of an autistic child. But the recommendations of the Report were not acted upon and the child and family were ignored.

Our local MP, Liz Savile Roberts was contacted for help but her very good friend at the council, Marian Parry Hughes, intervened and Liz then ignored our request for a meeting to provide her with our evidence. Liz has continued to ignore our correspondence.

At the time, the child was on a CIN plan managed by a social worker whose attitude beggared belief, culminating in the social worker not bothering to turn up for a review of the child's case. A meeting that he, himself, had organised with parents and a teacher, letting them all down and wasting everybody's time.

A complaint was raised about his behaviour and that of the Head of Services. To say it was dealt with badly is an understatement and a Stage 2 complaint repeatedly refused. (The Ombudsman has since recommended that ALL officers involved in the complaint be given re-training in the Statutory Complaints procedure)

So I began to blog the story of how Gwynedd Council have behaved.

I have been careful to name only those officers who have behaved badly and deliberately not named one manager whom, I believe, had her arm twisted by more senior managers to misrepresent the Investigation of the censoring and mishandling of personal information and the Council's own data breach.

Gwynedd Adult services were recently lambasted by the Ombudsman for how they treated a young, autistic man. This case was only brought to the Ombudsman's attention because the Complaints department had refused to accept their complaint, also.
 
If those named would like the right to reply they have only to contact me. I am also willing to consider and/or publish their version of events if they so wish.

I would also like to thank those who have supported the family in our attempt to access services for 'high functioning' autistics and those children that continue to fall between the gaps in services.

The Similarities Between Telford And Gwynedd. Sshh...

Re the outcry over the child abuse scandal in #Telford and those calling for an Independent Inquiry into those who failed the children....

Gwynedd Council - who were closed down after they failed the county's children in their own sexual abuse scandal of the 90's - have twice sanitised a recent 'Independent Report' into their Social Services department.

The abuse of children in Gwynedd and Clywd was only allowed to continue by those in authority maintaining a 'wall of silence' for decades.
Gwynedd Council, for whatever reason, chose to turn a blind eye and the whistleblower, Alison Davies - was actually sacked by the council for raising concerns.

It has become apparent that a 'wall of silence' still remains in Gwynedd with no-one willing or able to confront unprofessional and bad behaviour by senior managers within the council.
Sshh no criticism allowed.

The abuse of children in Telford began just after the creation of the New Town in the early 70's.

Just as in North Wales, the authorities at the then Wrekin Council and the local Police turned a blind eye. In fact, the local CID used to hunt down and return those 'children in care' who had fled from the abuse they were no doubt suffering in the council run homes in Wellington.
Sshh.

The authorities in North Wales sat on the Jillings Report into the abuse of children for 20 years - on the orders of the council's insurers - now Zurich International.
Sshh.

There was an Asian gang operating in Telford in the 70's as were White Gangs. There were also huge problems with #Unemployment #Racism and #Heroin. Too many unexplained deaths and mysterious 'suicides'.

The old Wrekin Council have questions to answer along with the now defunct Telford Youth Council, local Churches and the Police.

An Independent Inquiry into the abuse of children in Telford will fail just as in North Wales, Rotherham, Islington etc etc. No-one will be held to account.

An Independent Inquiry is too easily sanitised and the truth covered up - a Public Inquiry would stand a better chance at getting to the truth and the abusers and those who profited from the abuse punished.

But be in no doubt....the abuse of children and vulnerable people continues.
Sshh.....

More -  https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/

Gwynedd Council's Secure Letterbox - NOT.

In March 2016, a letter addressed to an Aled Gibbard (Senior Operational Manager) at Cyngor Gwynedd was hand delivered to #SiopGwynedd at the Caernarfon offices and placed in their secure letterbox.

It contained confidential and sensitive information relating to an Official Complaint and raised questions in response to a letter from Aled Gibbard dated 11th March.

Mr Gibbard, was dealing with the complaint himself, and, even though repeated reference was made to this letter, alleges the letter was never received.

Margaret Kenealy Jones, refused to acknowledge that hand delivering a letter to Cyngor Gwynedd shop in Caernarfon and physically dropping it into their secure(?) letterbox means it was delivered and... "We have conducted a search; unfortunately this has come back negative....we do not feel that failing to respond to a letter which we did not receive warrants...investigation.

How many letters to the council posted in the secure letterbox get lost each year ?

Months later, Kenealy assured me in a letter that if the letter was to be re-presented Aled Gibbard would answer the points raised.

Is that offer still available, Mrs Jones ?

Gwynedd Children And Families Department Fail.

Though the parents 2nd stage complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd Council showed serious failings within the Children and Families Department and was upheld by independent investigators in 2010 nothing has changed.

I have read through the report and noticed that many names involved back then are now ensconced as managers in Gwynedd social services, though it is not for me to say if these same people are now acting out of spite or have always been so unprofessional.

My experience working in the mental health field with dementia, learning difficulties, challenging behaviour and acquired brain injury was no use to me at all in this case and I was playing catch up for the first year learning about PDA, the boy's complex needs and gaining his trust.

I stood back and watched as first the Council got in contact and after discussions agreed that support may be available and a social worker would be assigned. Everyone was wary because of the behaviour of social services in the past but it was agreed that help towards social skills and integration was more important.

A social worker was allocated and a support worker was granted. Unfortunately the support was still not provided and so in desperation a solicitor was contacted and only then was a support worker assigned.

The first social worker was replaced by a second , this time from Children and Families, as the disability team would not assess, due to the boy having too high an IQ. This social worker introduced himself as having no experience of Autism and was not a disability social worker but said he was there to help.

He did not endear himself to anyone over the next period by comments such as -

'We are really doing the education departments job' 

'What to do you want a core assessment for? I don't see what use it will be, can you explain to me how you think it will benefit *****? '

'I'm a very busy man you know' (when he failed to phone back)

'This service is really for people that need a social worker'


But he was all my partner had to work with and the fact the boy was, finally, going to get help with socialisation and independent living skills was enough for me to still my misgivings and keep my professional mouth shut.

The help and support that eventually began was anything but.

Communication was poor and I mean mono-syllabic from the support worker when asked for feedback. One day he just grunted at me when I tried to engage him.
Different days different times and sessions that were arranged with less than 24 hours notice - and sessions were strictly on a take it or lose it basis.

The stress of dealing with this 'care support' had a knock on effect in dealing with other aspects of care and we all suffered for a period.

So a letter of complaint was sent to Support Services at Cyngor Gwynedd Children and Families Dept asking for continuity of times and reminding them that due to the boy's complexities the family had no idea of where he was taken, what subjects were discussed or how he engaged with others if at all and simply a plea for feedback to help us to help him progress with socialisation.

It is called team work and every professional in the care field will recognise its importance for the child and family - except, it appears, at the Children and Families Department of Gwynedd council.

A letter was duly received apologising for blah blah blah and informing us that we had to ask the social worker to ask the support worker to communicate with us re the sessions !!!! But they did take on board our need for certain times to avoid clashing with the child's education.

To be fair we were allowed the same time and day every week which removed so much stress and I am grateful for that. Imagine being grateful for a regular weekly slot from a children and families service(!) but I truly was.

The feedback from the support worker however did NOT materialise.
(Another social worker was asked further down the line again if we could have some feedback - again nothing)

In fact we did receive reports written by the support worker eventually. We asked Social Services for their file on the family and they were included. So much interesting information (and mis-information)  But that is for future posts.

My misgivings and worry about what I considered unprofessional and totally unacceptable behaviour turned to anger when I returned home and found my wife crying. She had had a phone conversation with the social worker which had caused her upset.

Then after I listened to the recording of the conversation I became quite upset, too.

A meeting between the social worker and my wife had been arranged but I wanted to be there for support so I emailed Cyngor Gwynedd Customer Care to raise my concerns about their social worker, Jamie Haydon and cancel the meeting.

My email and first contact with Cyngor Gwynedd Council was dated 29th Feb, 2016.

#bing #yahoo