Cyngor Gwynedd Council's Autism Plan Is Simply A Copy And Paste Exercise...

The Ombudsman for Wales finally had his meeting with the present CEO of Cyngor Gwynedd council, Dafydd Gibbard, to discuss continuing non compliance with recommendations made in 2019 - that the past CEO had informed was complete 'bar a nuance'.

The nuance happens to be the Autism plan now heralded on the council's website as 'innovative'. It is anything but....

The 'plan' presented by the contact officer, Aled Gibbard, is simply a cut and paste of the review report summary and recommendations agreed to after the Hugh Morgan, OBE review of services in Gwynedd undertaken last year -
The plan can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=32127

Aled Gibbard is also responsible for the 'equality impact assessment report' - tacked on to the already published council agenda. It, too, is a copy and paste - this time, of the Code of Practice for Autism -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=32135

A plan is meant to inform and clarify - this does neither. Ditto the equality impact assessment report....

Senior officers gave evidence to Hugh Morgan and presumably assurances during his review of the evidence presented -
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2021/04/finally-gwynedd-councils-autism-report.html  

Hugh Morgan's thoughts on the council 'plan' would be interesting. The urgent recommendations from his review have still not been complied with.... 

Has Dafydd Gibbard been dodging the Ombudsman until the Derwen manager, Aled Gibbard, presented a 'plan' that they consider meets with compliance ?  By now we are guessing that Nick Bennett may have become so frustrated with the council that any piece of work masquerading as a plan will be accepted as compliance. Interesting times...

Senior officers may claim there are no financial resources but as Mr Morgan points out the money is already there. He makes mention of the ring fenced monies from 2008 until 2016 at £60,000 a year and then £40,000 (not ring fenced) from then on. By my calculations, Gwynedd council have received £680,000 of government money for support services that do not exist. Where has that money gone ?

And talking of money, Gwynedd council have once again increased the amount in 'reserves'.
This money can only have come from the council not spending on services and support.
Why is Wales Audit not raising concerns ?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

"And I do wonder if it’s because of the attitude we have of senior officers to some of the councillors." - Gwynedd Council.

Cyngor Gwynedd Council's Cabinet Meeting took place on the 12th October. The autism plan was not passed and implemented as the Ombudsman for Wales was expecting - it was not even mentioned. 

Moving on - the Cabinet meeting included discussion on the Corporate Complaints Report. It appears that this complaints process, like the Social Service complaints procedures, is undergoing much change too. The Ombudsman is involved with these changes BUT the problems are not just with the complaints process and procedures more how senior officer's interfere with the process...
"The meeting was not to try and influence the outcome of the report in anyway..."

 
How has the complaints process been allowed to stray so far from the original Welsh Government policies and guidelines ? The data collected from complaints against council departments is used as big data and considered so important it is protected by legislation. The data can not be trusted...

The webcast of the meeting can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/606919
Copy and paste the address into your browser. The translated feed is not available for some reason.

The translated feed for the Care Scrutiny Committee meeting on Thursday, 30th September 2021 is also not working.
The link to that webcast can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/603781/start_time/0

Some local Councillors have been complaining for a while now that they feel left out of the democratic process. How are the english speaking Councillors feeling when they can not even access the webcasts?

In other news this week, the council is seeking to be more inclusive amid claims of a 'democratic desert' 

Cllr Mike Stevens - “And I do wonder if it’s because of the attitude we have of senior officers to some of the councillors. It was said this morning at our meeting by a very senior councillor that she felt there was no respect from too many officers towards councillors."

More on that here - Push for more diversity of candidates in Gwynedd’s ‘democratic desert’
https://nation.cymru/news/push-for-more-diversity-of-candidates-in-gwynedds-democratic-desert

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gwynedd Council - "for a local authority to behave in the way described by the ombudsman towards independent investigators is shocking"

Has the 2020/21 Children and Families Annual Complaints Handling Report circumvented Gwynedd council's Care Scrutiny Committee and any issues that councillors may have wished to raise ?

The last complaints report to go before scrutiny was in 2019 and that was not a meeting the senior complaints officer would have enjoyed. The Committee asked for more detail than usual and the officer made several references to the Ombudsman for Wales. The Ombudsman has since denied the words of the officer.

The latest report, authored by the Head of Children's SS refers back to the June, 2019 Ombudsman's report and writes -  "...recommendation asked the Department to look at the pathway within the Children’s Service in relation to Autism."

There is no pathway - that is the point.
The Ombudsman for Wales recommendation from the investigation dated June, 2019 is quite clear - 
71.The Council should (within three months) seek specialist input to develop a plan for dealing with future assessment and support requests from/for those suffering with Autism.

Under 'lessons learnt' -
"Moving forward, we have learnt an important lesson. At the first point of contact, we need to ensure that we read and understand the report and recommendations..."

The Ombudsman's report and recommendations the Head of Children and Families failed to read and understand can be found here -
http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Gwynedd-CC-FINAL-REPORT-201801474.pdf

 
Another recommendation from the same Ombudsman's report was -
68. The Council should, through its Chief Executive, apologise in writing
to Mr & Mrs A (and through that letter to X for failings...).
The apology must cover the following matters:
• the delay in providing its response to their complaint.
• the officer’s apology for distress caused by his comments.
• the failure to review X’s child in need plan.
• the other failures identified above.

The 'other failures identified above' include the circumstances that led to an investigating officer feeling 'overwhelmed' and 'bullied' at a meeting which the Head of the Children's department chaired.

Evidence from the council is noted as 'disingenuous' in the Ombudsman's report that also found senior officers had indeed interfered with an 'independent' investigation. Four/five pages were deleted from the original report - these pages included criticism of officer's and departmental failings.

It must be remembered that this investigation was hampered by the council informing the investigators that one officer involved had left the council and so could not be questioned. Once the investigation had concluded the officer then rejoined the council. What of the officer's continuity of employment ?

Luke Clements is the Cerebra Professor of Law and Social Justice at the School of Law, Leeds University. In 2013 he was the Special Adviser to the Parliamentary Committee that scrutinised the draft Bill that resulted in the Care Act 2014.

He wrote an article on the case -
Hopefully the local authority in question will implement the ombudsman’s recommendations and take a long hard (and reforming look) at the organisational culture that allowed these deplorable events to occur.

This report is incredibly troubling on many levels – not least that a local authority had so clearly failed to understand its legal obligations.  What is (to an outside observer) of most concern, is the level and nature of challenge experienced by the IIO.  We are well aware of families being fearful of the consequences of complaining – fearful of retaliatory action by authorities – but for a local authority to behave in the way described by the ombudsman towards independent investigators is shocking.  Complaints’ investigators are acting on behalf of Chief Executives / council members.  For a culture to develop where such an investigator considers that she is being bullied and for the ombudsman to agree that the impression given was of a council seeking to influence the outcome of an independent review – strikes at the very heart of the review process.  Ultimately senior legal officers and council members are responsible for the organisational culture of their authority – and these officers / members should take a long hard look at this report.

The full article can be found here - http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/omg-will-it-never-end-2/ 

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...