Agenda item

To accept the report which is the third quarterly report from the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board.

The report was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys.

DECISION

To accept the report which is the third quarterly report from the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board.

DISCUSSION

It was explained that this was the third quarterly report of the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board, and its purpose was to give the Cabinet an update on the progress of the work programme and implementation of the Response Board.

It was identified that the report raised awareness of the developments, what had been achieved, and what remained to be achieved by the Board.

The Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board was welcomed to the meeting. It was disclosed that the Board now met every two months in order to give officers more time to work on the Plan between meetings. After the publication of the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, it was highlighted that the Board had agreed to publish its papers in order to increase the transparency of the work. It was identified that the Board had moved to a more strategic period.

It was highlighted that the victims and survivors continued to be at the forefront of the Board's minds, and it was added that the Board also continued to offer support and scrutiny for Cyngor Gwynedd. 

Attention was drawn to the excellent engagement with the Board by its members and external observers, with full attendance at every meeting. Reference was made to the meetings being held by the Chair with key partners, external observers, and Cabinet members, to note the information deriving from the Board.

It was confirmed that the Chair of the Board continued to receive information and good support from the officers and Cabinet Members of Cyngor Gwynedd.

The key developments made in the last quarter were discussed, with attention drawn to the regular progress made in several key areas, for example, developing and monitoring safeguarding in schools, and including children and young people when developing policies.

Pride was expressed that the new headteacher of Ysgol Friars had been appointed permanently, and it was noted that she was also a member of the Board.

Pride was expressed from seeing more senior officers of the Council becoming a part of the leadership of the Response Plan, and more resources earmarked for the safeguarding field in the Council. 

It was reported that new impact measures for the amended Response Plan had now been agreed, and the Board was starting to receive reports on these.

When elaborating on the Board's next steps, it was stated that another two reviews were in progress on a national level, which would affect this work. It was declared that there would be further scrutiny of the Response Plan within Cyngor Gwynedd, and it was highlighted that much more work was still to be done to regain the trust of the people of Gwynedd.

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       Reference was made to the history of broader bullying at Ysgol Friars, and it was asked whether such bullying was being identified as a matter of concern. It was noted that such behaviour was common in many offenders, therefore it was identified in grooming training. It was hoped that the new training would identify and draw attention to these characteristic behaviours. It was explained that concerns could be raised about these behaviours through the systems within the Council, and if a concern did not receive a suitable response, the Whistleblowing Policy could be used. The importance of the Whistleblowing Policy was reiterated, and the need for staff to understand how to raise concerns across the continuum.

·       Attention was drawn to the breadth of training that the Council provided and was about to provide for its workforce, and they listed and detailed many aspects of this training.

·       When discussing the Whistleblowing Policy and with whom to raise whistleblowing concerns, it was noted that the Whistleblowing Policies noted that it was appropriate to go outside the corporation you worked for in order to blow the whistle. It was added that there was legal protection for the staff who did so. In addition, it was highlighted that there were external organisations where concerns could be referred in order to see whether a case was suitable.

·       It was asked whether the Chair of the Programme Board was satisfied that the progress made in relation to the tasks identified in the Plan, were timely. It was noted that the delay in publishing the Our Bravery Brought Justice report had made it difficult to continue with the work at the same pace for a time. It was identified that the adaptation to the Plan to ensure that additional senior officers led on different parts of the Plan, enabled work to progress more quickly. It was confirmed that important steps forward had been taken in relation to the work on the Voice of the Child, noting that the strategy that had been drafted and input received from the Board thereon, was notable and comprehensive. The fact that the draft strategy included an opportunity for children to contribute to decisions on an individual level and at strategic level, was praised. It was proposed that being accountable to children and young people would be key, and praise was expressed that this was included in the strategy. It was confirmed that a vast proportion of the feedback on this would be qualitative, but it was explained that quantitative data could also be looked at in various ways.

·       Enquiries were made on the future of the Board after the summer period, and questions were asked about what would happen to the scrutiny work once the Board came to an end. It was expressed that discussions had been held on the future of the Board, but that no formal decision had been reached at this point. It was highlighted that the Council would need to make a decision in terms of the role that the Board wished to take, and the Council's confidence in its scrutiny processes. 

·       When the Board would decide that its work had reached a safe place, it was noted that it would be possible to be proud of what had been achieved. It was added that the Council would have to convince the Board and itself that effective internal arrangements were in place to do this work.