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 Council Respond To My Complaint.

I have just received an email response from Cyngor Gwynedd council customer care(!) to my complaint.

The Assembly Member is still awaiting a response from the Children and Families department from over a month ago and the solicitor is still awaiting a reply from March.

Groundhog Day At Gwynedd Council.

Last night, I listened to advice and raised a complaint against Gwynedd council.

I have no faith that the council will treat it fairly or even according to law after the debacle of last year..

Still - the official complaint has been lodged and I await a response from the customer care team at Gwynedd Council - (customer care lol such a misnomer in this area)

What have I learnt from my past experiences with Cyngor Gwynedd council ?

That I may be setting myself up for more false lighting, manipulation and bad behaviour by the public employees at a Plaid Cymru controlled council.

We shall see.

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 ?

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  


















 

Challenging Behaviour At Gwynedd Council.

I wonder if the Children and Families Department in Gwynedd ever ask themselves the question "how did we get here ?"

They have had Assembly Members for Wales, Members of Parliament, District Councillors, County Councillors, the Ombudsman for Wales all notified of systemic failures in the Department and asking questions of their behaviour.

I have been astounded at how ineffectual all these people are against council managers - whom, it appears, can behave as badly and unprofessionally as they like and there is no comeback - but that is for another post.

My involvement only began, last February, after a phone conversation between my wife and a social worker.

Remembering that - Gwynedd council need to be reminded that challenging bad behaviour does not mean people are whiny bastards - it simply means they are challenging bad behaviour.

Gwynedd Council Services Scrutiny - Needs Updating (Or Something)

Just came across this link on the web.

https://democracy.cyngor.gwynedd.gov.uk/documents/s7887/Adroddiad%20Blynyddol%202015-16%20Sterfynol.pdf

Its slightly long winded so I will not reproduce it here in its entirety but I would like to comment on some of it as it seems so...well...personal to me.

This is an excerpt from a Cyngor Gwynedd Council report written by Margaret Kenealy Jones.
10.3b

Complainants

–

During this year we have recieved(sic) numerous complaints from the same individuals.
The individuals in questions will recieve(sic) a response and will return within a couple of weeks with a slightly different issue they would like to be addressed. They will also contact through different channels, for example

Solicitor or the Local Member of Parliament.
Example
–
A parent has been in contact herself regarding the hours of support work her son recieves(sic). As she is unhappy with the response,she contacted her Solicitor and her Local MP. In this case, as the Service had only recently recieved(sic) Access to the child in question they had not been able to produce a comprehensive assessment of need and therefore the hours agreed during the summer period was based on the information provided by the parent directly.

The Service are in the process of working with the family to complete a comprehensive assessment of the child’s needs in order to ascertain the amount of support needed. This has been closed as a complaint, and is now an operational matter being monitored by Senior Managers.

Does the new regulation allow for such a whitewash of the facts in this case ?

No mention in the report that this particular case has been ongoing for years.

No mention that in 2010 an Independent Investigation upheld an official complaint against the Council in this case.

No mention of the person being so ignored and denied access to services by the Council and so, in desperation, contacted a solicitor - and only then - strangely -  were services granted.

No mention of the Ombudsman for Wales agreeing with the parent that a stage 2 investigation should be allowed.

No mention that the Ombudsman for Wales was then mis-informed in this case and superceded their original decision only after Gwynedd council supplied said 'extra' information.

No mention that Liz Saville-Roberts, MP, was contacted, as advised by the Autism Champion for Gwynedd, Elin Walker Jones.


Please, Kenealy, you are required by Statute to produce a yearly report.

I understand it is your job to paint the council and yourself in as good a light as possible but official reports presented to the public should always be used to give some modicum of accuracy and fairness.

Will you be updating the public on how this case has progressed in your next report ?


google
bing

Why Don't Gwynedd Council Like Step Parents ?

I have been trying to raise a stage 2 complaint against Gwynedd Council since June, 2016, without success. Gwynedd have done everything in their power to thwart an independent investigation into what I consider to be unprofessional behaviour and systemic failings within their Children and Families Services (!) Department.

As Gwynedd Council close one door I have attempted to open another. How ? By contacting my MP, local councillors, county councillors, AM's and even the Ombudsman for Wales. The story is getting out there.

I have noticed a pattern in all those who have contacted Gwynedd Council on my behalf. They are all told that I am NOT the birth father. Why ? What difference do these people think that makes ?

Are they saying that a step parent cares less for a child ?

The last person to point this out this was Gwynedd Council's Head Of Legal Services , Iwan G D Evans.

Does Mr Evans think that people who marry others should have less care for their partners children ?

Or is this an attempt by Iwan Evans to somehow belittle the concerns I am raising with other people ?

Moving To Gwynedd.

In 2008, I had a heart attack.
I had a stent inserted but during the operation I had a second heart attack and so another stent was needed.

My life until then had been spent working in the care field.
It began as a roving first aid responder at Heathrow Airport, then moved to caring for the elderly in a residential setting.
After a year working nights as a Care Assistant in a Nursing Home my nose took me into the field of mental health and dementia.
I found the work fascinating and heartbreaking due to the callous, profiteering nature of Care(!) Home providers.
I managed a sheltered housing scheme for 8 residents in East Sheen – which I hated.
Management  meant staying in an office, dealing with budgets, Doctors and social workers.

I moved on a lot back then.

Learning Difficulties, Challenging Behaviour and the most upsetting for me – Acquired Brain Injury.

Owners of Homes used me to clean sweep their businesses.
Each home was eager for my knowledge and ideas on dealing with ‘challenging’ clients and to train other carers.

Exploring other ideas I had meant working for Agencies where I lived in Clients homes.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week gave me even greater insights into the issues that my clients faced.
I chatted with neighbours of my clients, dispelling their fears and getting them onside.
I asked local businesses to help spend time with them and even give them some unpaid work.
All to get them out of the house and meet and engage with the community.
Exhausting and wonderful.
It transformed their lives and I hope transformed those who gave their time, cash and love to them.

The heart attacks meant an end to all that, sadly.
I discharged myself from hospital after three days.
For the first three months, I was crippled. Gasping for breath, my liver shut down and I turned an interesting shade of yellow.
My doctor was useless so I stopped going though I did continue to take 7 lots of medication for a year.
I was living in Islington at the time but it was isolating for me and expensive. Relying on savings meant I had to find alternative accommodation quickly.

An old friend kindly allowed me to stay in his flat in west London when he holidayed abroad. Another friend allowed me to sit in his workshop during the day to keep warm and even threw me some money and bought me food in return for answering the phone.
Soon I was offered other flat sitting opportunities and some people even paid me to protect their properties when they were away on business. A weekend here, a fortnight there – time passed and my health slowly improved.

One year after the heart attacks, my girlfriend was diagnosed with Breast cancer.
Never rains but pours eh ? Long weekends were spent at her place in Surrey
My girlfriend struggled through the chemotherapy and the rest of her treatment but, one year on, she was given the all clear. She had beaten cancer but our relationship had changed from lovers to carers for each other and we parted.

A year later and I began suffering other health problems. My breathing had never properly recovered and I developed many infections.My back and neck stiffened and caused me pain. My left hand began to hurt and I could no longer clench my fist. By this time, the Conservatives had been elected, London became meaner and many of my friends had left the city. I found myself struggling to find accommodation and work opportunities were drying up. Care work was no longer an option because of Insurance issues and my worsening health meant I was no longer reliable, even for the piecemeal work I sought.

Cutting my needs and relying more and more on my meagre savings I struggled on for another two years. During this time I met up with an ex partner who also was my oldest friend. She was living in Gwynedd, North Wales, with her autistic PDA son.

Social Services in the Gwynedd area are appalling. She has had no support and Bangor CAMHS refuse to acknowledge the boy has any mental health issues, at all. After one incident, in which the teenage boy used violence against her, I gritted my teeth and moved in with both of them. That was 18 months ago now.

All my years in Mental Health did not prepare me in anyway for PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance). Within weeks my blood pressure went through the roof, chest pains, my heart rate became erratic. I ended up presenting myself at Shrewsbury A&E. (I have had experience of Ysbty Gwynedd and #BCUHB, who treated me after drinking contaminated water and, again when my partner miscarried our baby – it is my hope never to go there again). All the tests were good – well for a man with my cardiac issues and the Hospital put it down to stress.

I then signed on with the local Doctors Surgery and was given statins. Blood tests followed. The statin caused so much pain I could hardly move. A different statin and then Ramipril – more pain than before. I stopped the statin then realised it was the Ramipril. After nearly three months of pain and distress – I stopped the medication. My health improved – my stress levels did not.

The Doctor noticed something during an examination and ordered a Lung test. I failed and was diagnosed with COPD. I have not been back to see her since. My breathing has worsened this last year, blood pressure still too high but I need to be able to move quickly to deal effectively with the teenager and also my disabled partners needs are increasing as she ages.

The boy had recently been given four hours of support a week to aid with his social independence skills. Without warning or a re-assessment of his needs the hours were reduced to two – illegal in law. Take note anyone who has had their child’s support pulled.
The Support worker and Officer do not engage in any communication with us re the work they do with him. They refuse to give email addresses – no paper trail – do not give honest replies and are very evasive of communicating anything.  So unprofessional compared to the integrated planning around the client which I had been used to.