Another Ombudsman's Report - Cyngor Gwynedd Council.
A meeting was arranged by Cyngor Gwynedd Council's customer care officer to discuss with the Investigator what the Council claimed were factual inaccuracies within the Complaint Report and to seek clarity. We had asked Dafydd Paul, the Senior Manager Safeguarding and Quality, if we could attend this meeting but were rebuffed - "This is not a meeting where you are invited". The Independent Person, with a duty to oversee the Investigation process in the interests of the child, was NOT present at this meeting. Senior Management Team members in attendance were - Marian Parry Hughes. Aled Gibbard Sharron Williams Carter Senior Social worker, Delyth Davies and Lowri Williams were also present. The Head of Children's Services, Marian Parry Hughes, begins by accepting the meeting is "...unusual however the Stage 2 is complex and felt a face to face meeting would be beneficial" and goes on to say..... "The meeting was not to try and influence the outcome of the report in anyway" Cough. One of the main reasons given by the Senior Management Team for not accepting the Investigator's original report was that it contained factual inaccuracies. Yet the 2019 Ombudsman for Wales Report highlights the fact that - "On the evidence before me, bearing in mind the Council has not identified anything specific by way of ‘inaccuracies’, despite ample opportunity to do so..." It was at this meeting (referred to in the Ombudsman's Report) that the Investigating Officer felt "bullied" and "overwhelmed." It is a concern that with so many senior officers present no official minutes were taken during this meeting.(An email from Lowri Williams that contained notes and comments on the meeting was received through a Subject Access Request). Comments from Aled Gibbard have also been noted but that is for another post. The final, final Report was at least 4 pages shorter that the first one, a report that highlighted an inadequate assessment of a vulnerable child's needs and failure to maintain the child's CIN plan. Prior references to 'risk' and 'need' were also absent, along with recommendations. Something is very wrong within Gwynedd Council.
