Agenda item

Resolved: 

 

a) To commission the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Council Leader, and where relevant, the Monitoring Officer, to proceed with the further investigations and reviews noted in part 4 of this report following the publication of the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, including:

 

(a) Agreement on the terms of reference and operational steps

(b) Identify and appoint an external independent investigator where required

(c) Arrange for the receipt of final reports and take steps to submit them to the relevant committees and forums

 

b) To authorise the Chief Executive to continue to communicate with other relevant bodies and partners about what action and investigations they are undertaking and the lessons learnt that may benefit the Council

 

c) To authorise the Chief Executive to divert staff resources to support independent investigators to complete the work

 

ch) To authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Head of Finance and Cabinet Member for Finance, to prioritise and approve allocations from the fund established through the 2026-27 One-off Bids system to fund the investigations.

 

The report was submitted by Cllr Nia Jeffreys.

 

DECISION

 

Resolved: 

 

a) To commission the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Council Leader, and where relevant, the Monitoring Officer, to proceed with the further investigations and reviews noted in part 4 of this report following the publication of the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, including:

 

(a) Agreement on the terms of reference and operational steps

(b) Identify and appoint an external independent investigator where required

(c) Arrange for the receipt of final reports and take steps to submit them to the relevant committees and forums

 

b) To authorise the Chief Executive to continue to communicate with other relevant bodies and partners about what action and investigations they are undertaking and the lessons learnt that may benefit the Council

 

c) To authorise the Chief Executive to divert staff resources to support independent investigators to complete the work

 

ch) To authorise the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Head of Finance and Cabinet Member for Finance, to prioritise and approve allocations from the fund established through the 2026-27 One-Off Bids regime to fund the investigations.

 

 

DISCUSSION

 

It was highlighted that the Council fully accepted the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report, and that it intended to act on all recommendations in the Report. The victims were thanked for their courage and apologies were made for the Council's failures. It was emphasised that the victims were at the forefront of everyone's minds when discussing this topic.

 

It was noted that the purpose of commissioning this work was to add to the messages of the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report, and to examine some topics in more detail. It was explained that several considerations had been made here such as impact on the victims, the lessons learnt, and what the Council could achieve.

 

Reference was made to the number of investigations listed that were already underway or had been completed. It was confirmed that these investigations had identified lessons to be learnt. The need to properly understand everything that had happened to be able to improve was highlighted, and the importance that the Council finished carrying out all investigations that were within its power.

 

It was stated that the review into the Council's governance arrangements considered the missed opportunities, the recommendations set out in the Our Bravery Brought Justice report, and established whether there were governance lessons to be learnt.

The culture review was then discussed, noting that it would involve pulling together work culture matters through multiple sources. It was added that this would draw on several pieces of information that the Council already had. It was intended to complete this work in two parts, and the importance of receiving input from current Elected Members and those elected in the 2027 local elections, staff and other stakeholders was emphasised.

By referring to the Efficiency of the School Governance Procedure, it was highlighted that the current arrangement in terms of the division of statutory responsibilities was not always clear. It was mentioned that the Council had given an input into a review of the Welsh Government's school governance arrangements. While the Council awaited the outcome of that review, it had been acknowledged that it would examine its internal arrangements and the current school governance procedure.

It was reported that considerable changes had taken place to arrangements for dealing with the Council's part 5 referrals since the publication of the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report. It was hoped that this work would be reported to the Safeguarding Strategic Panel in October 2026.

Following this, it was stated that there was an intention to look again in detail at any schools that had been under the leadership of the offender and to expand the Part 5 work to look at these schools. It was reiterated that it was intended to look as far back as possible to complete this work. 

It was highlighted that there was a commitment to encourage other organisations to carry out their own investigations, to see if there were wider lessons to be learnt.

 

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that he had an input into this report and was satisfied with the appropriateness of the recommendations. Should anything arise in these investigations that needed to be referred to another statutory body or process, then it was stated that would happen and be a priority. It was confirmed that these investigations would be conducted with regard to data protection requirements and responsibilities to maintain fair and appropriate processes.  

 

Observations arising from the discussion:

·       Gratitude was expressed for the report and these investigations were welcomed. It was asked whether it would be possible to summarise the lessons learnt so far, and the steps that had already been taken to strengthen the Council's arrangements. In response, reference was made to the quarterly reports of the Chair of the Response Plan Programme Board. Reference was made to the contents of the Council's website and the information it contained about the conclusions of the Our Bravery Brought Justice Report, what had been achieved, and what was ongoing as part of the Council's response. It was also stated that the County's schools had access to an electronic data management system, so that behavioural change in children could be recorded. It was added that the capacity of the Education Safeguarding and Welfare Team had also increased. The changes to the Section 5 safeguarding arrangements were mentioned and the system that was being piloted to facilitate minute-taking in Section 5 safeguarding meetings. The safeguarding training video was mentioned which had been developed in an accessible and suitable manner for all the Council's workforce. It was stressed that an agreement was in place to enable co-operation with the Police in an emergency. Particular attention was drawn to the Quality Assurance Framework that had been developed by the Children's Department, noting that it clarified expectations for training, support and learning. It was added that the aim was to ensure that the best support was given to children and families, and confirmed that the Framework was a step forward in seeking to embed culture and a long-term change within the Council.

·       It was emphasised that there was no political interference when it came to staffing matters within this field. It was recognised that there was a public interest in this matter, but that action must be taken in accordance with the law, and the employment rights of individuals must be respected. It was assured that the Council understood their responsibility and acted appropriately and in a timely manner.

·       A Cabinet Member confirmed that lessons were being learnt, and that everything possible was being done to ensure that nothing like this can happen again. He mentioned his belief that the Council had acted appropriately throughout this process, with independent advice having been received and that the Council had acted on that advice. Attention was drawn to the challenge in relation to making decisions about further investigations and reports without being certain of their impact on the individuals at the heart of this and not knowing whether these would be their preferred actions. It was reiterated that the Council had been supporting the families throughout this process. There was concern that the voice of the child was not evident in this document. It was questioned how was it possible to ensure that decisions within this field respected the needs of the children.

·       In response, it was confirmed that the Council was seeking to become trauma informed throughout the journey and that the well-being of the victims was the Council’s primary consideration. The request not to use the offender's photo in the media was reiterated, as there was concern about the potential impact of seeing the offender's picture on the victims. The need to be trauma informed of the impact of any investigation or report that would be conducted was emphasised.

Reference was made to the ongoing review of school governance arrangements, noting that it was entirely fundamental to the future of education and child safety in Wales going forward. It was hoped that this work would continue and get to the root of current systems. It was believed that the division of powers between government bodies and education departments within local authorities should be examined.