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.

 

Gwynedd Council “Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services" From 2011

The previous post highlighted critical reports into Cyngor Gwynedd social services department from 2001 through to 2008 undertaken by Wales Audit Office and the Care Inspectorate Wales. 

There were many promises for improvement -
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... 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," 

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."

Strong words from the then Director of Gwynedd SS departments and council leader - so did things get better ?

A 2010/11 Care Inspectorate Wales report highlighted 42 areas in which Gwynedd social services needed to improve. In some areas the department’s results have put it amongst the worst performing councils in Wales.

From a Daily Post article by Dion Jones 00:00, 1 DEC 2011 Updated 00:58, 19 APR 2013

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/gwynedd-council-social-services-criticised-2674423

 

Gwynedd Council social services criticised in report

 

THE county’s social services department has failed to meet a number of statutory requirements in the field of child protection, according to a damning report.

The social services watchdog for Wales said it does not yet have the “confidence” in Gwynedd Council’s delivery of some children’s services.

The 2010/11 annual report by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales has outlined a staggering 42 areas across the board in which social services need to improve – compared to just 20 areas where the department is praised.

In some areas the department’s results have put it amongst the worst performing councils in Wales.

But the head of the social services in Gwynedd said it has already adopted an improvement programme and that progress has been made in the six months since the inspection period.

Among the most hard hitting statistics in the report were:

Only 63% of service users had a review of their care plan – one of the lowest proportions in Wales

36% of all initial assessments on children were carried out by social workers when the child wasn’t even there. This meant that almost 500 children were not seen as part of their initial assessment.

Only 47% of initial assessments were carried out within seven days (the national standard).

A total of 90 people experienced delays in being discharged from hospital – significantly higher than other authorities in North Wales.

An entry in the report reads: “Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services.

“A number of improvement priorities and statutory requirements have not been met.”

However, the report also praised some aspects of the department, such as the “well run” fostering service which was deemed to be providing “good quality and nurturing care for children and young people”.

Gwen Carrington, Gwynedd Council’s head of social services said: “The council is committed to continuing to improve social services so that we can provide modern and effective support for vulnerable people.

“In their annual report for the period from April 2010 to March 2011, the CSSIW note that Gwynedd Council’s social services has an understanding of its strengths and the fields where improvements needed.

“The council is already implementing an improvement programme.

“For example, we have already adopted a residential and nursing strategy to tackle the over-dependency on traditional residential care.

“The CSSIW notes that the evidence shows the council is making progress in key areas and they have confirmed that no inspection will be undertaken in Gwynedd in 2011-2012.

“In addition, there has been substantial progress in the six month period since the period of the report.”

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/local-news/gwynedd-council-social-services-criticised-2674423

So a critical report from 2001 was ignored with no improvements made and the same in 2008.

Remember the then Director's words from 2008 -  'a great deal of time and effort had been invested in modernising the sector...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.'

Obviously not...

But, this time a different Director of SS has been appointed to step forward and promise  to 'provide modern and effective support for vulnerable people' that senior officer's had promised in 2001 and again in 2008 and now 2011. Gwen Carrington states “The council is already implementing an improvement programme."

The same thing over and over and over....

Below is a link to the Director of SS, Annual Report for the year 2010/2011 - 
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/Data/Dwyfor%20Area%20Committee/20120326/Agenda/11_02_Appendix.pdf

The Director of Social Service departments Annual Report is an important piece of work and the data is so valued by national governments to plan future services it is protected by legislation. Whilst the critical CIW and other agency reports and recommendations are ignored and left on the shelf to gather dust, social service reports are used to inform, build on success, identify areas for improvement and be aware of any 'trends' and 'patterns' that emerge....

The Director writes -
"Since our services were criticised in the Joint Review (external joint-review of social services in 2008 undertaken by the CSSIW and WAO), we have been busy laying foundations and strengthening arrangements. This year, we have evidence of that success and the inspectors have acknowledged our success in 2010."

Whilst the CSSIW (Care Inspectorate Wales) writes -
“Children’s services have not yet secured all of the improvements necessary to provide assurance or confidence in delivery of social care services."

 

 

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.

"No Matter What The Wish Of The Individual May Be" - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

With regard to the previous post, the Corporate Director of Cyngor Gwynedd council SS departments, Morwena Edwards, has given her explanation of the statements made to the Care Scrutiny Committee by the CEO, Dilwyn Williams and the senior complaints manager, Dafydd Paul, in particular - bearing in mind the Ombudsman for Wales has denied instructing the council.

"The Ombudsman is correct in his replies to your queries that he did not explicitly request that Gwynedd Council contact you by telephone to offer and/or arrange these assessments."

Interesting wording - and they were anything but queries...
Morwena continues - 
"However, the Ombudsman’s office was clear that they expected us to be pro–active in response to their findings that we provide these assessments.After obtaining legal advice, our interpretation of the Ombudsman’s recommendation led us to conclude that contacting you directly to offer you and your family the comprehensive assessment of your needs referred to above was the most appropriate course of action. This action was taken in good faith as part of our sincere effort to meet the terms of the Ombudsman’s recommendation.I wish to sincerely apologise for the confusion and distress that the subsequent telephone call to you on 14/11/19 caused, and I accept that we should have taken into account that you had previously requested that communication between your family and the Council should only be conducted via email.In response to your second point above,  

I acknowledge that the quote from the transcript you provided of Mr Paul’s statement to the Care Scrutiny Committeeon 14/11/19 is what was conveyed to the Committee."

So did the senior complaints manager mislead Councillors of the Committee?

"However, I must disagree with your assertion that his statement was made deliberately to mislead the Committee in some way about how Gwynedd Council were intending to meet the Ombudsman’s recommendations contained in his report." 

But, if the Ombudsman had given the council no such instruction why did the officer spend so much time telling Councillors that he had ?
"...the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be..."

"Mr Paul’s statement to the Committee is consistent with the prevailing interpretation of this specific recommendation from the Ombudsman by Gwynedd Council at that time. In order to meet the recommendation, we decided that all methods be explored in order to comprehensively assess your family’s needs."

'...consistent with the prevailing interpretation...' What. does. that. even. mean ?
Regardless - the Ombudsman has denied the words of Dafydd Paul -

"given them a further challenge, to make sure that someone goes to see the family, meet the family, ensure that they receive that assessement and that is something that we have now arranged with the adult services, to go into that situation on the Ombudsman's behalf, despite the fact that they have not expressed a wish to receive the service, our usual ethos involves intervention but only if the person invites us in and wishes for us to intervene in this way, the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be, so that is now our response to that challenge provided by the Ombudsman." (translated)

Morwena Edwards continues -
"The action of being proactive in offering you and your family these assessments was seen as vital to meeting the Ombudsman’s directions, and was interpreted as being a requirement implicitly arising from that recommendation." 

There is that word 'interpretation' again. Anyway the recommendation referred to has been ignored since 2010, and again in 2017. Two social worker's were assigned to carry out that task in 2018, alongside another Ombudsman's recommendation. After completing one piece of work - badly - they did not return as they had said they would.

The Ombudsman has called the Director's thinking as 'illogical' in a past investigation. What could be said now ?

Something is seriously wrong within Gwynedd council.

 

Did Cyngor Gwynedd Council Senior Officer's Mislead A Care Scrutiny Committee ?

At a Cyngor Gwynedd council Care Scrutiny Committee meeting of November 14th, 2019, the senior Complaints manager, Dafydd Paul, told Councillors that the Ombudsman for Wales -

"given them a further challenge, to make sure that someone goes to see the family, meet the family, ensure that they receive that assessement and that is something that we have now arranged with the adult services, to go into that situation on the Ombudsman's behalf, despite the fact that they have not expressed a wish to receive the service, our usual ethos involves intervention but only if the person invites us in and wishes for us to intervene in this way, the Ombudsman has judged this and wants us to go no matter what the wish of the individual may be, so that is now our response to that challenge provided by the Ombudsman." (translated)

The assessment mentioned would have been the third assessment undertaken by the council in three years - the previous two were called out by the family as 'fake' and predetermined ie set up to fail.

Confirmation was asked from Mr Dafydd Paul, or failing that the CEO, Dilwyn Williams, himself, that what was stated to the Care Scrutiny Committee was in fact true. The officer's did not reply.

 

So the Ombudsman for Wales office was contacted. 

 

After viewing the council's webcast, one senior Investigator confirmed the words spoken by the officer's were not correct but could not speak for the Ombudsman himself.

Nick Bennett was then approached for comment - he too denied the words of the senior officer's....

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council. 

                             

Finally - Gwynedd Council's Autism Report - Unredacted.

The unredacted Autism Report that the Head of Cyngor Gwynedd Children and Family's Department, Marian Parry Hughes, said would not be released unredacted.

BCUHB (West) region, Gwynedd, Mon and Conwy

Evidence and Data provided by some of the usual suspects....

AG: Alex Gibbard(Senior Operational Manager, Children’s Disabilities Services)

DL: David Lewis (Social Work Team Manager, Derwen)

NP: Non Pierce (Senior Social Worker, Derwen)

CB: Christine Burns (Practitioner Manager, North Wales Integrated Autism Service)

DP: Dafydd Paul (Senior Safeguarding and Quality officer GCCC)

LW: Lowri Williams (Customer Care Officer, Gwynedd CC)

JEH: Janw Hughes Evans (Head of Nursing Children’s Services, BCUHB)

SCW: Sharron Carter Williams (Senior Operational Manager,Children’s Services)

EH: Elliw Hughes, (Referral Team Manager, Children’s Services) 

Now renamed the 'Derwen Report' for some reason.....Dont mention the A word Sshh.

T