#Gwynedd Council Censoring Of Personal Information Update.

On the 23rd May, 2018, Cyngor Gwynedd Council finally released to us an unredacted copy of an email written by a Gwynedd Council manager containing our personal information.

They had no right to censor our personal information, this was done deliberately, to prevent us from reading unprofessional and disparaging comments made about us by a senior social work manager.

It should have been released to us in October, 2016 in accordance with our Subject Access Request.

An Information Manager dealing with the issue says there was no legitimate reason for it to be redacted or denied us, this was not the only email that was redacted in this same manner, for the same reasons, from the same manager.

19 months to obtain all the information allowed us by Law under the Data Protection Act.
A process that should take a maximum of 40 days.

We now wonder whether or not the Council provided us with all that we were entitled to at that time.....or not...who knows ?

Something is so badly wrong within Gwynedd Council.

Gwynedd Council Maladministration 2018.

On the 16th March, 2018, Gwynedd Council's Corporate Director and Head of Social Services, Morwena Edwards, finally responded to our Stage 2 Complaint, nearly 5 months after the completed Report was received by the Council.

The entire process has taken over 10 months to conclude - a process that according to Gwynedd's Statutory Policy should take 28 days.

Our complaint(s) were upheld by the 'Independent' Investigator and her Report - twice sanitised by the Council - still makes for some very interesting reading. But that is for another time.

The Data Breach and censoring of our personal information are currently being investigated as a separate complaint by Gwynedd's Information department. But we have now been told that the Manager is not able to deal with the issue of a senior manager, Melvin Panther, writing disparaging comments about the family to other agencies - so our complaint in this respect is still not concluded.

The official response from the Council is signed off by Morwena Edwards and she attempts to totally whitewash the highly critical Report into her department.

According to the Welsh Government Guidelines on Social Services Complaints, the Council were obliged to offer to meet with us to discuss the report and their response. They have not offered a meeting and as we have yet again been denied the opportunity to discuss the report and their response to it, we wrote in response to the Council.

We pointed out that the Children and Family department attempts to gloss over the systemic failings uncovered by the 'Independent' Investigator and still seek to blame anyone but themselves.

Social Workers and other Council Officers admit that the child's case was allowed 'to drift'.

Our reply to the Corporate Director(s) was that her response is nonsensical and farcical and disregards the failure of Social Workers and the appalling state of record keeping within the Children's department.

During this time, the Ombudsman for Wales has also been investigating Gwynedd Council.

Their Report upholds all our complaints and highlights maladministration and service failure by Gwynedd Social Services going as far back as 2010.

Yet this time Gwynedd Council have held up their hands to the Ombudman's Report and agreed to implement all the recommendations made - including certain officers being retrained in respect of the Council adhering to their Statutory Duties.

The Council would have received the Ombudsman's Report early last week. They have still not contacted us.

Something is so badly wrong within Gwynedd Council.

The Similarities Between Telford And Gwynedd. Sshh...

Re the outcry over the child abuse scandal in #Telford and those calling for an Independent Inquiry into those who failed the children....

Gwynedd Council - who were closed down after they failed the county's children in their own sexual abuse scandal of the 90's - have twice sanitised a recent 'Independent Report' into their Social Services department.

The abuse of children in Gwynedd and Clywd was only allowed to continue by those in authority maintaining a 'wall of silence' for decades.
Gwynedd Council, for whatever reason, chose to turn a blind eye and the whistleblower, Alison Davies - was actually sacked by the council for raising concerns.

It has become apparent that a 'wall of silence' still remains in Gwynedd with no-one willing or able to confront unprofessional and bad behaviour by senior managers within the council.
Sshh no criticism allowed.

The abuse of children in Telford began just after the creation of the New Town in the early 70's.

Just as in North Wales, the authorities at the then Wrekin Council and the local Police turned a blind eye. In fact, the local CID used to hunt down and return those 'children in care' who had fled from the abuse they were no doubt suffering in the council run homes in Wellington.
Sshh.

The authorities in North Wales sat on the Jillings Report into the abuse of children for 20 years - on the orders of the council's insurers - now Zurich International.
Sshh.

There was an Asian gang operating in Telford in the 70's as were White Gangs. There were also huge problems with #Unemployment #Racism and #Heroin. Too many unexplained deaths and mysterious 'suicides'.

The old Wrekin Council have questions to answer along with the now defunct Telford Youth Council, local Churches and the Police.

An Independent Inquiry into the abuse of children in Telford will fail just as in North Wales, Rotherham, Islington etc etc. No-one will be held to account.

An Independent Inquiry is too easily sanitised and the truth covered up - a Public Inquiry would stand a better chance at getting to the truth and the abusers and those who profited from the abuse punished.

But be in no doubt....the abuse of children and vulnerable people continues.
Sshh.....

More -  https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.com/

Cyngor #Gwynedd Council And The Half Term Holiday.

An update to the post of the 9th February - https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/cyngor-gwynedd-council-and-delayed.html  - in relation to the Stage 2 complaint first raised on the 25th May, 2017, on the advice of the Ombudsman for Wales.

Morwena Edwards, Director of Social Services, sent an email at 17.03 possibly to prove that she was not taking her half term holiday early, this year, as I suggested ?

Reading through Gwynedd Council's Statutory Policy it is clear that the Investigation is completed and the Report finalised and with the Ombudsman for Wales even making reference to the Council's 'delayed response' we can only assume that the Director of SS is either misinformed by her complaints officer(s) or she is deliberately misinforming us ?

"I apologise that you have not yet been updated in relation to the progress on your complaint.  As you rightly note, there was a meeting as part of the investigation with the Council officers on the 30^th of January.  Unfortunately, I understand that the Customer Care Officer who made contact with the investigator in relation to timescales for producing the final report and submitting this to the Council, has been away from work with an illness.  Because of this, I have not been provided with the update as expected. 

Following your email, I have asked someone else to contact the Independent investigator to make enquiries and ascertain when the final report is expected by the Council.  Once this reply is received, I will of course provide you with an update.

In your email, you suggest that the Council has had the report for 14 weeks.  I am informed that the Investigator is yet to issue a final report to the Council.  Once this is received, the Council will prepare a formal response to you about your complaint and you will be provided with a copy of the Investigator’s final report."
                                                 *********************

It is now the end of another week - 15 weeks now - since the Council have had the Independent Investigators Report and nearly 9 months since the complaint was raised.

Another week in which Mrs Edwards refuses to answer our questions and, like other council officers involved in this case, blames someone else for the delay.

It is the half term holiday and there will be public employees taking a well earned holiday.
Does that include the Director and ALL the customer care and complaints department dealing with our complaint ?

Forget the update, Morwena and just release the Report. 

Something is so wrong within Gwynedd Council's Social Services.

Re-Post From Last Year - Groundhog Day At Gwynedd Council.

A re-blog from 9 months ago - To be honest even I didn't think that the Council could/would act as badly as they have...but they have...

Where is the Independent Investigator's Report ?

"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."
 
Gwynedd Council Fail.: Groundhog Day At Gwynedd Council.:

Cyngor #Gwynedd Council And It's Delayed Response.

Still no sign of the Independent Report into a Stage 2 complaint first raised with Cyngor Gwynedd council in May, last year, on the advice of the Ombudsman for Wales.

Out of frustration we emailed the Corporate Management team - see post from the 17th January - 

https://gwyneddsfailingcouncil.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/so-we-emailed-cyngor-gwynedd-councils.html

Our questions were not answered to any satisfaction but we were told by an Executive Officer on behalf of the Director of Social Services, Morwena Edwards, that we would be receiving an update - 

"Thank you for your email and I apologise that I am unable at this point to answer your questions fully.

I understand that a meeting with the Independent Investigator has been arranged on the 30th of January. Following this meeting the Service will be in a better position to advise you on a timescale for sharing the report.

I understand your frustrations that this is taking longer than expected, however Lowri Williams will provide you with an update following the meeting on  the 30th."

As no update has been forthcoming we sent an email to the Director, Morwena Edwards, on the 6th February -

"Dear Mrs Edwards,

It has been a week since Senior Managers met with the Independent Investigator and we have not received any update as your Executive Officer promised.

So please now answer our very pertinent questions in relation to the stage 2 complaint first raised in May, last year, without delay and release the report immediately.

We remind you that the Council have had the report for 14 (fourteen) weeks now and it is coming up to 9 (nine) months since the complaint was first raised.

We are aware that two months were lost due to the accident befalling the first Investigator so 7 (seven) months in a process that by your own Statutory Policy should take 25 working days".

                                                         *****************

The Director and senior management remain silent.

Perhaps they are all taking the half term holiday early this year ?

Something is so badly wrong within Cyngor Gwynedd Council and its Social Services.

Gwynedd Council Stage 2 Complaint - 8 Months Today.

Today marks 8 (eight) calendar months since a stage 2 complaint was raised against Cyngor Gwynedd council on the advice of the Ombudsman for Wales.

Two months were lost due to the original Independent Investigator meeting with an accident and so was unable to continue.

Six months then in a process that should, according to the council's own Statutory Policy, be completed in 25 working days.

#Gwynedd council were handed the Independent Investigator's Report at the end of October.

So where is the Report ?