Ombudsman For Wales 'Outraged' With Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

In Cyngor Gwynedd translated Minutes. senior officers openly admit that the Ombudsman is 'outraged' with them and the CEO, Dilwyn Williams, statement gave some detail, for example -

"That this had been an extremely difficult case, and as the Department had not experienced many cases in which the Ombudsman had decided against it, it was possible that we had not been successful in changing our operating principles to what the Ombudsman would have liked to have seen."

To my knowledge there are now FIVE Ombudsman for Wales Reports that have found against Gwynedd Council over the last four years - the most recent was published, last month, in the public interest, as a vulnerable person died.

(The link to this latest Report can be found at the bottom of the page)

The CEO is made aware of any Ombudsman's investigations by the Ombudsman himself and would have read the draft report(s) - all relevant departments are given the opportunity to comment and/or challenge any errors before publication.

What of all the council department's documents and Annual reports that should have alerted Councillors and the public to the systemic failings found within the council - over the years? 

All written by the same officer's responsible for the systemic failings and maladministration.

One Report from 2018 is being sat on and has still to be presented for scrutiny by Adult Social Services.

In the meeting's other news, four council reports were presented for scrutiny - not one contained good news.

It is disturbing that of the four reports presented to the Committee not one senior officer reported on a fundamental change to the Children's Derwen criteria.

Derwen is a partnership between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Gwynedd Council’s Social Services and now Anglesey Specialist Children's Services.

The Council has finally been forced to apply the defintion of disability as defined under the Equality Act, 2010 when assessing the needs of children.

The CEO's statement does reference non compliance with recommendations from previous Ombudsman's Investigations, but is poorly written and makes little sense

"As there had also been confusion regarding the wording of one of the Ombudsman’s recommendations relating to the parents' assessment, we also did not comply with another clause which we had agreed to implement"

There was no confusion regarding the wording.  The Ombudsman's wording is simple and clearly written.

The updated Derwen Policy can be found here -

 https://www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Residents/Health-and-social-care/Hwb-teuluoedd/Integrated-Team-for-Disabled-Children.aspx

Local solicitors and advice groups take note.
(It is advisable to make hard copies) 

The Ombudsman for Wales Report,dated January,2020, can be find below -
It finds against Gwynedd Council, Cartrefi Cymru and BCUHB.

https://rhagolwg.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/en/Council/Documents---Council/Final-Public-Interest-Report.pdf

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council.

Early Day Motion-No Confidence-Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

Just come across this House of Commons Early Day Motion into a review of Cyngor Gwynedd Council. It is twenty years old but some may still recognise the issues.

Tabled 01 December 1999.

1999-00 Session

That this House congratulates the District Audit on its damning Review of Grant-Funded Economic Development Schemes of Gwynedd Council, published in November 1999 and reported to the Wales Office (Office of the Secretary of State for Wales); deplores the actions of Plaid Cymru members of the Council criticised in the Review for not declaring their interests in companies of which they were directors when discussing the allocation of public funds to those companies; further notes the failure of a Plaid Cymru councillor to fulfill his statutory obligation to register directorships of companies; notes the many further irregularities disclosed in the Review and, recognising that Gwynedd is included in the area awarded Objective 1 status secured by a Labour Government, believes that decisive action is required by the Council because, in the words of the District Audit, 'it must now ensure it has adequate arrangements in place to ensure that value for money is obtained from Objective 1 investment and the highest standards of probity are maintained'; and calls on the said Plaid Cymru councillors to resign and for the Council urgently to implement the recommendations of the Review, failing which this House believes the public will not have confidence in Gwynedd Council.

The primary sponsor of this motion was Betty Williams, MP for Conwy (1997 - 2010) and was supported by many politicians, some are still MP's today.

The motion and its sponsor's can be found here -
 https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/19132

Copy and paste the address into your browser.

This was only three years after the old Council was wiped away after the North Wales child abuse scandal  -
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Wales_child_abuse_scandal

When a Social Worker, Alison Taylor, took her concerns to a Gwynedd County Councillor (would that be a Corporate Parent?)  she was sacked -
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/alison-taylor-woman-who-blew-the-whistle-on-abuse-breaks-her-silence-8348387.html

Employment laws will mean that Gwynedd Council can not easily sack those officers who do raise concerns.

So how do senior managers today deal with concerns regarding and raised by Council employees ?
Do they just suspend them on full pay - for years ?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council.

An Ombudsman,Cyngor Gwynedd Council And Compliance.

With regard to the recommendations from two Ombudsman for Wales Investigation reports into Cyngor Gwynedd Children's Department. 

The Chief Executive, Dilwyn O Williams, confirmed to Cyngor Gwynedd Care Scrutiny Committee, held on the 14th November, 2019, that all recommendations had been met and goes on to mention a 'miscommunication' with the Ombudsman - amongst other things.

We rang the Ombudsman for Wales seeking clarification of the officer's comments.

The Ombudsman for Wales informed us that that statement from the Chief Executive regarding compliance was not correct - at that time - but could comment no further until viewing the webcast.

Nearly two months have passed since the meeting between the Ombudsman and the CEO, in Cardiff, to discuss (non) compliance in regard to recommendations regarding assessments and retraining of officer's. Already long overdue.

The Ombudsman for Wales has, we notice, without delay issued special reports when other Councils have failed to address recommendations and improvements. 
                                            ****************************

Another Ombudsman's Investigation into Gwynedd SS Adult Department, dated 2018 - Case number - 201700388 led to the following recommendation -   

Undertakes a review of its ASD procedures, specifically those for adults and children with high functioning ASD, and ensure that the requirements of the SSWA 2014, MHM 2010 and ASD SAP have been met.

A recent FOI request to the Ombudsman for Wales has provided evidence that the Council, at that time openly admit to not yet carrying out this review, thus NOT ensuring that the Council was and is even now meeting the requirements of the SSWA 2014 , MHM 2010 and the ASD SAP.
Regardless of this, the Ombudsman then signed off on compliance, we do not know if such a review has since been undertaken.
                
This case - involved untrained council officer's behaving in a way that caused injustice(s) to and impacted on the human rights of a 'high functioning' autistic adult with mental health issues, features in the Ombudsman's casebook on Equality and Human Rights 2019/20 -

Copy and paste the address into your browser.
https://www.ombudsman.wales/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/104483-Equality-and-Human-Rights-Casebook_Eng_v03.pdf

Whilst this case is reported by the Ombudsman for Wales, it is concerning that this Report, published in 2018, has still not (to our knowledge) been presented to either Full Council, Cabinet or even the Care Scrutiny Committee.

Ultimately, responsibility for the organisational culture within the Council lies with the Monitoring Officer and also with elected members.

"The Monitoring Officer has a statutory responsibility to ensure that the Councils operates in a lawful manner and that it does not do anything which could amount to maladministration."

From -  "Do we have to accept it, Dilwyn", one councillor asked in response to the recent Wales Audit Improvement Report, critical of Gwynedd Council and how it dealt with its Youth Service cuts, through to Councillors and Cabinet Members who have no wish to examine evidence of maladministration.

Cabinet Members who fail to present critical reports of their departments for scrutiny.

Senior managers who bully and overwhelm an Independent Investigating Officer to remove critical references and recommendations for improvement of the Children's Department in her final, final, final report.

The Council's own report of their data breach that manipulated our evidence to whitewash its failings and create essentially an inadequate report. An earlier blog gives more detail - 
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2018/09/cyngor-gwynedd-councils-report-into.html

A social worker who misled an Independent Investigating Officer and Independent Person, during the Stage 2 Complaint investigation into her inadequate assessment of an autistic child's needs - we have evidence that senior managers and also the Director of Gwynedd Social Services were aware of this and re-wrote their response letter accordingly to cover this up.

A Monitoring Officer who mentions that there will be 'implications' and 'consequences' to a complainant, if that complaint is to proceed in the way they wish, then repeatedly failing to respond and explain to the complainant what those 'implications and consequences' would be when asked. 

A disabled social worker, who claimed disability discrimination and bullying by her senior managers within the Children's Department was suspended for two and a half years. The Employment Tribunal found against Gwynedd Council.
The Tribunal Report can be found here -

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5cf61dd7e5274a0771578036/1600022.2017_Mr_S_Parry_v_Gwynedd_Council_-_CORRECTED_JUDGMENT_AND_REASONS.pdf

How many Cyngor Gwynedd employees has this Council suspended for protracted periods of time and why ?

It would be interesting to have the thoughts of the Union representatives on such matters. 

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd Council.















 

Where Is The Third Ombudsman's Report ? - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

The 14th November, Cyngor Gwynedd Care Scrutiny meeting was full of surprises - for many reasons.

Warnings, by the Committee Chair, that a live issue was ongoing appeared to be ignored in senior officer's attempts to negate criticism and 'spin' their version of events. Anoma lies were noted in their narrative to Councillors.

The statement from Dafydd Paul informing the committee that the Ombudsman had ordered the Council to act regardless of the family's wishes was of particular concern.
(I am taking this comment from the english translation)

The english feed is now working for the meeting of the 14th November and can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/454056
 
Whilst Councillors and the public await a more detailed explanation for the behaviour of senior managers within the Children's Department and their Complaints team it must not be forgotten that yet another Ombudsman's Report should have been presented for scrutiny at the meeting.

Dafydd Meurig, the Cabinet Member for Adults, did not present the highly critical Ombudsman's Report dated the 4, July,2018 into the department he has responsibility for.

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."

 
A recent FOI request into this case was responded to by the Ombudsman for Wales in the 'public interest'.

And..?

Something is very wrong with Gwynedd Council.

Cyngor Gwynedd Council SS Cuts Challenged By It's Own Care Scrutiny Committee.

What a difference a year makes in the life of a Cyngor Gwynedd Care Scrutiny Committee.

The english feed is now working for the meeting of the 14th November and can be found here -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/454056

Last year, concerns had been raised with the Committee before the meeting and one councillor was  contacted by phone to ask if he wished to see evidence of our claims.
"Er..No" was the reply.

As both Cabinet Member, Dilwyn Morgan and the author of that years report, Dafydd Paul, told the Committee they were not willing to discuss individual cases no scrutiny was permitted of the maladministration found within the department they both have responsibility for.

Mr Paul proceeded to ignore the elephant in the room and began a diatribe how he had been working on the Council's Complaints Procedure for years - even referring to it as 'his baby'.

For why ? Welsh Government have done all the hard work by publishing the Complaints Procedure and Guidelines that all Council's are expected to uphold and adhere to.

How very different this year.

The Scrutiny committee, with a new Chair, Dewi Wyn Roberts, challenged the Services proposed social services savings - including 2 #MentalHealth posts, #CarersSupport  and #WomensAid, to name a few.

Then came the questioning of the Complaints Manager, Dafydd Paul. 

This years Annual Complaints Report, I believe, was authored by the Head of the Service, Marian Parry Hughes and presented to Cabinet in the summer.

Mrs Hughes was present at the meeting but left shortly before her Report was scrutinised. Surely she should have been answering questions as it was her Report ?

Maybe too embarrassing ?

The Ombudsman upheld the complaint that the Children's Department had interfered with an Independent Investigation and that the IO reported feeling 'overwhelmed' and 'bullied' at a meeting that Marian, herself, chaired, in order, the managers said, to 'correct inaccuracies'.

The Ombudsman commented the council provided NO evidence of these 'inaccuracies' when asked.

There is a post from June covering that meeting in more detail here -  https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2019/06/bullying-cyngor-gwynedd-council.html
Copy and paste the address into your browser.

It was a meeting that we asked to attend but Dafydd Paul refused us. The Independent Person  - appointed to oversee the interests of the child - was not in attendance at this meeting either.

Now the Investigator had  contacted the Ombudsman with her concerns and asked for advice.
The Ombudsman did not advise.

Luke Clements,  Professor of Law and Social Justice at the School of Law, Leeds University who has had conduct of many cases before the European Commission and Court of Human Rights highlighted this particular case and his thoughts can be found here -

http://www.lukeclements.co.uk/omg-will-it-never-end-2/


The Adults Social Services Complaints Handling Report was finally presented to a meeting that had, according to the agenda, overrun by two hours.

No mention of the appalling 2018 Ombudsman's Report into the mistreatment of an autistic adult and his family by Gwynedd Adults Social Services - case number - 201700388.


Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd Council.