One Councillor Was Asleep - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.

On the 10th, February, 2022, Cyngor Gwynedd Audit and Governance Committee sat to discuss the Saint David's Day Celebration, the revenue budget review, savings schemes, the budget and Audit Wales reports.

The agenda pack - that includes the Audit Wales reports can be found here - https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=136&MId=4597

As in most meetings, the councillors had few questions for officer's and the presented data - the most significant challenges coming from Sharon Warnes, the lay member of the committee.

One councillor fell asleep during the meeting...

Part of the Audit Wales report highlighted that the council was developing a new 'performance arrangement framework'...but that communication with and training for councillors has not been effective enough. No kidding... .

The Audit Wales officer was asked for his opinion of scrutiny during the meeting - he just laughed...

The same officer presented the 2019 report to council where he had raised concerns with the provision of youth services - that old chestnut. It was not a meeting the officer would have enjoyed. More on that here - https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2019/10/did-cyngor-gwynedd-council-dogpile.html

Remembering that, the officer may have been thankful to be attending via Zoom rather than in the council chamber, but councillors were still heard to make remarks...

The recording of the 10th, February, 2022, Audit and Governance Committee meeting should be found on the council's website some time soon - https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts

Something is so very wrong within Gwynedd council...

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - Harassment In Schools.

On the 8th February, 2022, Cyngor Gwynedd council held an Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting. The agenda for the meeting can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=392&MId=4380

The agenda included -
HARASSMENT OF HEADTEACHERS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL STAFF ON SOCIAL MEDIA
There have been incidents and the situation is being monitored...

What of the video of a Headteacher appearing to have a child by the neck? The same Headteacher who caused the social media backlash on school dinners - but then accused the council of throwing him under a bus...
https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/north-wales-headteacher-filmed-appearing-22954185

The Education officer thanked the committee for the question and said he would get back to them....

Why the headteacher accused the council of throwing him under the bus was asked at the Education Scrutiny Committee meeting but the Cabinet Member for Education, Cemlyn Williams, did not answer the question. Instead, he chose to focus on his perception that he was being compared to Boris Johnson. The Education officer simply wished to be 'moving forward'

Have Committee members thought about inviting Mr Foden, so that they may hear his side of the story?
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/headteacher-says-thrown-under-bus-22213496

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SCHOOLS
Whilst acknowledging there is a problem, there was again very little in the way of data. The main data coming from a UK website on bullying and harassment...

Where is the local data? The schools must have recorded incidents - why was that data not presented? Why is there no data from Gwynedd Youth Justice. The Police - Governors - Pupils - Parents?

With regard to the Economy report - the data driving future works in the county appears to come from a survey undertaken by the council. There were less than 160 responses...Of those some were critical of the lack of youth provision in Gwynedd - this criticism does not appear in the council report...

Regardless, the committee passed the reports...

This meeting should be available for public viewing on the council website sometime soon -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/home

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...



 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council Scrutiny Committee Pass What Exactly...?

Cyngor Gwynedd council's Care Scrutiny Committee met on the 3rd February, 2022, to receive a progress report on the Occupational Therapy service and also to scrutinise the North Wales Population Needs Assessment.

Whilst the OT report was quite encouraging, if accurate - the Needs Assessment had not been completed.
The officer blamed the pandemic and a lack of data but promised the report will be ready to be presented to the Cabinet next week. So no proper scrutiny then?
Regardless, a vote on the report that was not a report was called for....!!!

A debate ensued - well sort of...
There appeared to be a plea for councillors to help in the collecting of data - then it was said there is enough data...!!
Concerns were raised that few people were responding with requests for information - surveys etc and were there mumblings that the data was not positive to the services?

The meeting bemoaned the fact not enough people are engaging to aid with data collection. But families have tried to engage and are ignored...or parent bashed. Councillors of the Scrutiny Committee have been made aware of the concerns for those with protected characteristics (and the data) for several years now - the committee has not engaged. Are members now asking for those with past experience of council services to come forward? It was all very confusing...

Have any of the five recent Ombudsman's investigations been used to inform the Assessment? Has the Hugh Morgan, OBE review been used - apart from the cut and paste 'plan' presented to the last Scrutiny meeting?

Have we reached the point where departmental reports and data are in complete contradiction to recent investigations, reviews and people's personal experiences?

One of the counci's most important pieces of work to plan services for the next 5 years is being bodged...For why? The data is worthless....

Only one committee member saw through it all and voted against accepting the report, one other abstained - the rest voted it through....

The webcast of the meeting should be available on the council's website for viewing some time soon -
https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcasts

The North Wales Population Needs Assessment can be found here -
https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/documents/s32793/20220223%20Appendix%201.pdf

Something is very wrong with Gwynedd council....

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - More Questions Re Compliance - Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman for Wales email of the 23rd, December, 2021, also mentions Derwen, Cyngor Gwynedd council's disabled children's service and states -

 
"The consultant’s review considered the role of Derwen (responsible for assessments of children) and of NEWIAS (with a remit for accessing adult diagnostic assessment) and the chart within the draft plan seen demonstrates how the agencies will work together.  The need in particular for a transitional social worker and additional training for relevant officers was identified and is to be implemented as well as establishing an Autism champion."

What draft plan? 

Gwynedd council and Derwen should have been working with agencies since 2008 and the introduction of the Autism SAP. How can they plan to work with agencies that they have been working with for the past 14 years?

With regard to an autism champion the Plaid Cymru Councillor for Glyder in Bangor, Elin Walker Jones, was the nominated autism champion from 2012 and was even nominated for an award in 2014 - she didn't win. What happened to her? 

The 'additional training' the Ombudsman mentions should have already taken place (details below)

 

It would be interesting to have sight of the evidence provided to Hugh Morgan's Review by Gwynedd senior management - and fact checked.

The SS departments these officers manage and their actions and behaviours have been heavily criticised in five Ombudsman investigations . Four of those investigations involved the bad treatment meted out to those on the autistic spectrum. their families and even complaint investigators. One investigation - not autism related - was because of a death in a local care home.

 

Have the Ombudsman's recommendations from that case been complied with? The council's last CEO, Dilwyn Williams, warned the adult SS department that the work was long overdue before he retired. Where is evidence of compliance? 

Hugh Morgan's review and recommendations that senior officers have accepted but also failed to implement can be found here -
https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/2021/04/finally-gwynedd-councils-autism-report.html

 

But why is Mr Morgan raising issues with the Derwen 'criteria'...?
The council were meant to have already updated their Derwen criteria to align with law from a previous investigation - the Ombudsman has signed this off as completed. It makes no sense....

Also this from an Ombudsman's investigation which the council accepted in 2018 -

What is the point of costly and time consuming reviews and investigations when nothing changes?

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...

 

Cyngor Gwynedd Council - When Is Compliance Compliance ?

On the 23rd, December, 2021 the Ombudsman for Wales wrote regarding Cyngor Gwynedd council's compliance - or rather non compliance - with recommendations from a 2019 investigation into the children's SS department.

"In relation to compliance I had also chased the Council in the interim for confirmation as to the outcome of the Cabinet meeting on 30 November (having not had any update). I received its response yesterday morning. I have also today been able to see the minutes of that Cabinet meeting on its website and confirmation that the plan was approved. Having considered the question of compliance, we are content that the Council has met this as a varied implementation from the strict wording of the recommendation as set out.

Think on that - the Ombudsman had to chase the council for confirmation and then checked the minutes of the meeting to confirm the council's confirmation..Lessons learnt?

But what is this 'varied implementation from the strict wording'?

 

On October 22, 2020, the Ombudsman shared his thoughts on what was expected of the council to meet compliance...- 

 

Mr Bennett went on -

 

The Transitional Social Worker has still not been employed.

 

Re the Derwen eligibilty criteria - Why does Hugh Morgan, OBE,  recommend a 'further (and immediate)' review? An Ombudsman's investigation from 2019 recommends - 

 

70. The Council should review its Derwen policy to ensure its criteria aligns with the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010’s definition of ‘disability’, and ensure staff are informed about any changes (within three months).

 

The Ombudsman has signed this off as completed. So why is the consultant calling for a further review only one year later? By this time, there should be two reviews into Derwen - where are they?

Just before Christmas, the Derwen manager, Aled Gibbard, was asked to share the autism data collected with Councillors of the Care Scrutiny Committee. Apart from a vague 1 in 100 figure he produced no local data. Why not? Why not simply collate all the data from the agencies that have been working together since 2008.

 

Hugh Morgan's review makes mention of 'ring fenced' (and non ring fenced) monies for these services over the same period. By my estimation, there is £680,000 worth of data - where is it?

 

The 'plan to be launched by April, 2021' has still not been launched.

Anyway it is not a plan - it is simply a copy and paste presented by the contact officer, Aled Gibbard,  of Hugh Morgan's review and recommendations . The Equality Impact Assessment also undertaken by Mr Gibbard is mostly a copy and paste of Welsh Government's Code of Practice Equalty Impact Assessment. 

 

Regardless - the Ombudsman has signed it off...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...has it infected the Ombudsman's office?