External group to "challenge and support" council safeguarding children improvements (From Western Telegraph)
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External group to "challenge and support" council safeguarding children improvements
9:44am Wednesday 21st September 2011 in News
The Welsh Government will appoint a Ministerial Board to provide "external challenge and support" for Pembrokeshire County Council’s child safeguarding plans.
Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, gave a statement at the Senedd yesterday in response to the improvement plan drawn up by the council in the wake of scathing reports by Estyn and CSSIW.
Mrs Thomas said that the board will have an "independent chair with a legal background and other members with the necessary expertise to challenge the Council in the core areas for improvement."
She added that the responsibility for failings identified "rests solely with the Council. The responsibility for putting it right rests with them also but we do not believe that the Council can achieve this on their own."
The statement also included reference to a further complaint added to the 25 already identified by the report which highlighted serious failings in the authority’s safeguarding procedures.
"We have been persuaded that there is progress and that the Council itself is prepared now to reach into its culture and processes to change things. We welcome that. But we believe – and our experience has shown – that this kind of change is not achieved quickly.
"It will take courage and cooperative action by the whole Council operating openly and transparently in a democratic framework," said Mrs Thomas.
Comments(3)
indeview
says...
5:25pm Thu 22 Sep 11
I wonder if councillors realised the significant difference between a "Board" and a "Committee" which the public could attend?
Officers certainly didn't tell them at the Extraordinary Council meeting at which the Board was approved by council, sorry, rubber stamped.
These leading councillors seem to be holding the nails so that Pembrokeshire County Council's coffin can be nailed down.
No doubt the secrecy will ensure that no officers or councillors are openly held to account.
We can only hope that the Audit review of Corporate Governance arrangements will be thorough and open.
If councillors have receognised and agreed that the constitution doesn't allow them to do their jobs, are they entitled to their special responsibility allowances?
John Hudson ( Indeview)
Sue T/K
says...
11:06am Fri 23 Sep 11
'Council leader Mr Davies said: "I welcome the fact that the minister recognises the volume of work that has been carried out by the council and its officers over the last two months but acknowledge the minister's wish for further reassurance.
"I, along with members of the county council, will be working with council officers and Welsh Government representatives to ensure Pembrokeshire remains a safe place to live and learn."'
The Audit review needs to consider whether there has been a general acceptance of wrong-doing/mistakes having been made by the council leaders since the Estyn/CSSIW report. Management denial is rife within pcc. Had Councillor Davies used the words 'becomes a safe place', or I would even accept 'becomes a safer place', I might have been just slightly encouraged. Instead he has cherry picked the statement for just about the only comment from Gwenda Thomas that praised pcc. It's a dangerous tack to take - denial and corporate re-organisation go hand in hand. I too hope that the new Ministerial Board and the upcoming audit will not waste this opportunity to make real changes for the better. I am utterly convinced that pcc are not willing (rather than able) to make the necessary changes themselves, and that any signs of appeasement are more tactical than genuine. In a word it is all down to TRUST - and a lot of us out here just don't have any left in pcc.
neil p says...
1:22pm Thu 22 Sep 11
Ye gods..... Is there a bottomless pit full of spineless, senseless, weak, public sector minions, too fearful and detached from the real world to have the scruples to dose out private sector style sackings or punishments for these fetid scabs on Pembrokeshire’s landscape?