THE same man who reprimanded a youth worker accused of inappropriate behaviour with children on two separate occasions then gave him a reference to become a foster carer, Full Council heard last week.

Former youth worker Michael ‘Mik’ Smith pleaded guilty in July last year to 14 child sex offences including three counts of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 13 and four of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Smith had worked for Pembrokeshire Youth Service and Pembrokeshire Youth Action Service.

Complaints were made about him and investigations carried out in 2005 and 2006. He received a verbal and then a written warning from his line manager.

He was not dismissed from Pembrokeshire County Council until 2012.

The then head of youth service, who was not named at Full Council, gave Smith a reference in support of an application to become a foster carer.

Cllr Mike Stoddart asked a number of questions at Thursday’s meeting relating to the case and the differing advice members were given about whether disciplinary records were retained by the directorate.

In July 2014 members were told all previous child protection inquiries were held, but in November they were told that as a verbal warning had been issued, a record would only have been retained for one year.

Cllr Stoddart asked: “Can the leader explain the apparent discrepancy with this account and his claim at the meeting last July that Mr Smith’s attempt to become a foster parent had been thwarted because ‘information about all previous child protection inquiries was held in the Directorate which was considering the application’?”

He also questioned the decision to allow the second investigation in to Smith in 2006 to be carried out by a trainee from the chief executive’s department rather than an independent qualified social worker, as in 2006.

Council leader Cllr Jamie Adams said that the Fostering Panel had turned down Smith’s application in 2010 despite his reference because some members of the panel were aware of his history.

He added failures in the case of Smith were acknowledged and systems changed so information would be retained.

Cllr Stoddart said it was only the fact someone knew the history which saved the council from a “disaster”.

Cabinet member for safeguarding Sue Perkins said the July meeting had been organised at short notice because Smith had changed his plea and more information was then available for the November meeting.

This was disputed by Cllr Stoddart who said it was known that Smith intended to plead guilty for some time.

He said that members not being told vital information “cast great doubt on the confidence people can have in the procedures of this council. It’s just another cover up I’m afraid”.

Cllr Stoddart added: “Members who went to the briefing on the 2nd of July were not told about the second investigation in 2006 and that was withholding important information from members. In the CSSIW report one of the biggest criticisms was that officers don’t share information width members. After all that who ha with Ministerial Board we still had last summer officers not telling the truth.”

With reference to the second investigation councillors were told that it was standard practice for management trainees to carry out such investigations.

Cllr Perkins added that this was “symptomatic” of the failures at that time.