Jan Pickles Child Practice Review Now Expected Late Spring - Cyngor Gwynedd Council...

Who is supporting Jan Pickles and her review team?

Recent comments made by the Children's Commissioner for Wales with regard to the Jan Pickles child practice review are not encouraging - https://www.childcomwales.org.uk/2024/11/comment-on-neil-foden-cpr/  

That the commissioner for children is mentioning an 'information vacuum' should be of concern. Is this usual in a child practice review?

The North Wales Children’s Safeguarding Board, with its chair, Jenny Williams, is now expecting the Pickles review to be completed in late Spring...

Both Gwynedd council and Ysgol Friars have asked for those with information to approach them. Those with information may be better contacting the North Wales Safeguarding Board via the regional email address  reviews@denbighshire.gov.uk 

Commissioner Rocio Cifuentes also contacted senior officers and certain members of Gwynedd council's Cabinet. Four cabinet members have now resigned their post. Becca Brown, Berwyn Parry Jones, Dafydd Meurig and Elin Walker Jones issued a joint statement, saying they "wish to distance ourselves from the comments made by leader Dyfrig Siencyn". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v69ey47e5o

Was the initial stance by Siencyn not to support a public inquiry, and his refusal to apologise for the actions of Foden influenced by the council's insurance company? Perhaps the councillors would have been better calling for a full public inquiry from within the cabinet?

An incident such as the Neil Foden case should trigger procedures designed to protect evidence. Senior officers may be suspended or their access to information and computer records limited. This does not imply blame or guilt but simply protects the integrity of the data.

Did this happen in the Foden case?

At the care scrutiny committee meeting held on 26th September, 2024, Gwynedd's senior safeguarding and quality officer presented the SS department's annual complaint handling report. The report states the authors as Marian Parry Hughes and Aled Davies yet during the meeting the officer implies that he is the author.

These reports are usually written by the senior complaints officers within social services and then passed to the heads of department for their approval before publication. The children's complaints officer is also the senior safeguarding and quality officer for the council. Surely these two roles are not compatable and  could be seen as a conflict of interest?

The care scrutiny meeting was webcast and can be found here - https://gwynedd.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/915151

The meeting was notable not just for the officer's reappearance after a 5 year hiatus. It is his lack of update on the historic complaints that the department reported on earlier this year that should be of most concern. Perhaps the councillors were updated behind closed doors? Perhaps not...

In July, Gwynedd council launched an internal investigation after two staff members were suspended from a local school. Has that investigation concluded?

A reminder that Gwynedd council have sat on investigation reports for years...

Both SS departments have also reported an overspend in their budgets... From 'Gwynedd council face £7.6m overspend forecast and funding deficit' https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/24684637.gwynedd-council-face-7-6m-overspend-forecast-funding-deficit/ In the Adults, Health and Well-being department the latest projections suggested an overspend of £2.7 million.This was due to a “combination of factors” including increasing pressure on domiciliary care provision, higher staffing costs, sickness levels and high rates of non-contact hours with the internal provision.

The backlog of assessments for DOLS (deprivation of liberty orders) should also be of concern not forgetting the financial cost if families do make a legal challenge. A reminder that there are more than enough qualified officers working for the council that there should be no backlog. A successful assessment would allow the council to provide support to those with dementia.

Children's department -A reported overspend of £2.6 million was now up to £3.2 million as a result of ” an increase in out-of-county placement costs.”An increase was also seen in the “complexities of packages and increased use of unregistered placements”.An “exceptional” overspending by the Children and Families department had led the Chief Executive to commission work to “better understand” the “looked after children’s” care situation. 

Dafydd Gibbard should be well aware of the situation with looked after children and to commission work is more expense and delay. 

Is some of the overspend down to plugging gaps in the safeguarding/child protection field? The increase in use of unregistered placements is of high concern. These placements can be incredibly expensive, costing upwards of £6,000 a week and are they really the best place to be placing our vulnerable children and young people? 

A local case from  2020 - Boy 'wrapped in cling film and gagged at Gwynedd care home'https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-51298785

In other news, GwE, the schools improvement service held a meeting on 2nd October.The financial accounts were discussed. The amounts were less than expected and the explanation from the council officer did not impress those in attendance... The agenda pack for this meeting can be found here - https://democracy.gwynedd.llyw.cymru//documents/g5321/Public%20reports%20pack%2002nd-Oct-2024%2010.30%20GwE%20Joint%20Committee.pdf?T=10 This meeting was not webcast and so is not available for viewing by other councillors or the public...

Something is very wrong within Gwynedd council...