Cyngor #Gwynedd Breaching Human Rights Of The Disabled.

Gwynedd council's Care and Scrutiny Committee held a meeting last week, 13th September, mainly to receive the adult and children's Reports presented by the departments.

The recorded meeting can be found here - both in Welsh and English.
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/372242

The last 30 minutes of the meeting are the most passionate where councillors appear to challenge officers presenting the Report on the lack of support and services for those with 'high functioning' autism and my thanks to all those councillors who challenged the officers and their Reports. We are grateful.

How many times have councillors heard officers say the same thing - things are progressing, things are in the pipeline, blah blah blah - for how many years ?

I urge the councillors not to fall for the emotional blackmail of the officers saying that other disabled children would miss out and receive a poorer service if children with Autism without a Learning Disability were supported.

It is the politics of fear and quite depressing to hear these comments from senior managers in the 'care' field.

We believe that ALL children with issues whether physical or neurodevelopmental are important.

The 2018 Ombudsman for Wales Investigation Report  into our complaint against Gwynedd council makes reference to Grants being available to the council and so how can the Departments use money now as an excuse ?

Gwynedd is a large county with a small population. There can not be that many children with Autism who are considered 'high functioning' with needs.
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There was back slapping a plenty and much praise for the recently published  Inspection Report by the Care Inspectorate for Wales (CIW).

But I was hoping for the Care Scrutiny Committee to raise the issues of the other Reports that have recently been published, too.

From the Independent Investigation presented to the council in October, 2017, which was so very critical of the Children and Family Department.

The Ombudsman for Wales Report in April, 2018 highlighting Maladministration and service failure by the Children and Family Support Department covered the period between 2010 until 2016.

There is also the June, 2018 Report of the Data Breach and the Children and Family Department's mishandling of personal information - see previous post.

The Ombudsman is currently investigating the council for undue interference in a 'Independent' Investigation and has been given evidence of very poor behaviour by council officers and senior managers.

And has anyone sighted the Ombudsman's Report dated 4th July, 2018 ?
http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Ombudsman-Gwynedd-Council-report-201700388.pdf

In point 69 of that report the Ombudsman for Wales writes -

"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 Ombudsman also kindly provides a description of Autism for Gwynedd's Service officers and managers and other comments highlight issues within Gwynedd Council relating to ASD.

"A lifelong developmental disability which affects a person’s social interaction, communication, interests and behaviour. The characteristics of ASD vary, with some people finding it hard to understand other people’s emotions and some with restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour".

"....The Council’s available ASD information, including its strategic plan for ASD services, particularly services for those with high functioning ASD, are limited....."

"Additionally, the Council’s failure to ensure that its officers receive appropriate ASD training and have an ASD strategy in place places not only Mr A, but other service users in its area at risk of having services cut or stopped because the reviewing officers do not understand the effects of ASD or there is nothing suitable available."

 

There appears to be a pattern of behaviour within Gwynedd council to see the disabled and the most vulnerable as 'low hanging fruit' and to deny and remove support in an attempt to save money. 

In our case the boy is soon to be a man, but social workers have already told us that he will not be eligible for support from adult services (even before an assessment by adult services) and that there are no services for 'Vulnerable Adults' or autistic adults (or children) in this area.

  

And where is the Children and Family's Annual Complaint handling Report ?

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council.

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Maladministration At Gwynedd Council.

I include this article on my blog to highlight the fact that Gwynedd social services totally ignore the law and have just been found guilty of maladministration in another case.

A council which withdrew one-to-one support for a man with learning difficulties has apologised to his mother and paid him £500 for the distress caused.

Gwynedd Council was told to take the remedial action after being found guilty of maladministration by the Public Services Ombudsman.

It follows a complaint from the mother – identified only as Mrs X – that the change had had a significant detrimental effect on her son, who was a young adult with cerebral palsy and mild learning difficulties.

He had been receiving nine hours of one-to-one support each week, but in January, 2015, the authority said the service would end, even though the client had not been reassessed.

A social worker said that the council had been “over-servicing” and that the man did not meet eligibility for one-to-one support.

Instead he was offered group sessions on alternate Saturday mornings, but the family’s GP expressed concern about the impact on him and called for the one-to-one support to be reinstated.

In response to the Ombudsman, the council accepted there had been shortcomings in the process and that alternative support should have been put in place before the one-to-one support was stopped.

As a result, greater consultation now takes place with service users and their families when changes were proposed, the council said.


 http://www.bala-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=114470&headline=Council%20apologises%20after%20mum%E2%80%99s%20complaint&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2017


Appalling behaviour from Gwynedd council social services - again.

Gwynedd social services were told last year that withdrawing support without re-assessing needs is illegal so why continue with callous and criminal behaviour towards the vulnerable ?

Why was the Ombudsman for Wales involved ?

Did the family try and make a complaint against Cyngor Gwynedd social services ?
Was the family refused their complaint as I have been ?

My questions to Cyngor Gwynedd is who will be paying the fine ?

Has any action been taken against those public employees responsible for breaking the law ?

Has the social worker been retrained to take in all aspects of statutory policy and reminded of the Social Workers Code Of Ethics ?

Has the manager been reminded that it is their job to make sure statutory policy, ie the law, is adhered to in all cases ?

What, if anything, has been done to safeguard vulnerable children and adults in the future ?

Will the names of those involved in this sorry state of affairs be known ?