Welsh council slammed for "failure to deliver basic duties" in child protection

Pembrokeshire County Council has been ordered to rapidly overhaul its children’s services after damning inspection reports.

Welsh Assembly deputy minister for children and social services Gwenda Thomas said these showed “a failure to deliver basic duties” in child protection.

Inspectors from the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales and the education inspectorate Estyn jointly probed the handling and management arrangements of allegations of professional abuse and arrangements for safeguarding and protecting children in education services.

They concluded: “There has been a lack of oversight by elected members and officers, at the most senior level within the authority” of this work.

Their report described these failings as “longstanding and systemic”.

Thomas called the findings “wholly unacceptable, and I expect urgent, strong and decisive action to rectify them”.

A separate report by Estyn on the quality of Pembrokeshire’s education service found it was “unsatisfactory with unsatisfactory prospects for improvement” and that policies and systems for safeguarding children were “not fit for purpose”.

The reports had also found fault with Pembrokeshire’s corporate leadership and lack of political oversight.

Thomas warned: “The Welsh Government is not going stand by and allow this to continue.

“I am convinced that the council needs support and challenge from outside the authority to turn these matters round.”

She has asked council leader John Davies for an urgent report by 9 September on actions taken to address the inspectors’ concerns and for an action plan to rectify faults.

Former education and social services directors David Hopkins and Phil Robson will lead a team to oversee Pembrokeshire’s progress.

Thomas has also issued a direction to Pembrokeshire to properly vet education staff before children return to school for the autumn term.

Davies said safeguarding of children and young people was “an absolute priority for everyone” at the council.

“It is with a sense of deep disappointment and dismay that we have received these reports,” he said.

“We are not hiding from the matters raised in these reports and I want to assure parents that we are working tirelessly to ensure children are as safe as it is possible to make them.”

Mark Smulian