Milford Haven News
Board lifts lid on child protection concerns
8:50am Sunday 5th February 2012
Cases which led to child protection services being slammed and Welsh Government troubleshooters moving into County Hall have been detailed for the first time.
Scathing reports last year severely criticised the handling of child protection issues in Pembrokeshire with 26 cases highlighted for further attention by Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) and Estyn.
The Safeguarding Accountability and Improvement Board, established in the wake of the child safety scandal, met in private in October and December to discuss the cases.
The minutes of these meetings were approved by the children and families overview and scrutiny committee last week.
A number of the cases relate to false allegations where no further action was taken but CSSIW found fault with the handling of three of these cases before the allegation was proved false.
One case involved a bus driver who made inappropriate comments to a pupil and was removed from duties following an investigation.
The council’s transport section now checks all bus and taxi drivers involved in school transport.
Another case involved an allegation of inappropriate behaviour and over-familiarity with youth service clients. The employee had been subject to a disciplinary hearing after no police action was taken, and redeployed to another centre where he was put under close supervision.
However, after a new allegation, he was suspended, further investigated and action was taken.
CSSIW raised concerns about the initial investigation and the level of action taken but the board also noted that the case highlighted the potential dangers of relationships between youth service workers and their young clients.
In one case an investigation found no evidence to support an allegation of assault by three teachers on a child. Police became involved later when the child’s father called at the school and assaulted staff.
Another, awaiting the completion of a full investigation, involves allegations of inappropriately reckless behaviour by an employee who was warned about previous behaviour and is now suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process.
Two cases had previously been referred to in the published reports – the falsifying of a reference for a teacher dismissed for inappropriate behaviour and the case of headteacher David Thorley, jailed in 2009 for sexual offences against children.