Gwynedd Council has voiced disappointment and frustration over the postponement of a Child Practice Review report into former headteacher Neil Foden’s misconduct.
Gwynedd Council has expressed frustration over the delay in publishing a key Child Practice Review into the case of former headteacher Neil Foden, who was jailed for abusing pupils.
The council said it was informed of the postponement only hours before the report was due and has sought an explanation from the North Wales Safeguarding Board. While the Board says the delay is to ensure legal and information-sharing obligations are met, the council and local leaders stress that the report’s findings are essential to provide answers for victims, identify lessons, and strengthen safeguarding in schools.
The report, led by Jan Pickles, was due to be published on 24 September, but the council says it only learned of its delay late on the previous day (about 4:25 pm).
The council says it was not consulted about the delay, and has requested an explanation from the North Wales Safeguarding Board, but has yet to receive one.
Neil Foden, formerly of Ysgol Friars (Bangor) and Dyffryn Nantlle, was sentenced in 2024 to 17 years in prison for abusing four girls.
A strategic safeguarding panel report previously indicated that it was “quite likely” that additional victims existed, and that safeguarding systems had failed over several years.
In a statement, the North Wales Safeguarding Board said the delay was necessary for it to further consider its legal obligations and information sharing.
Council leaders say the delay has prolonged uncertainty and suffering for victims and survivors, and that the report is needed to identify lessons, hold systems to account, and improve safeguards going forward.
Some councillors have also questioned Gwynedd Council’s own internal procedures, such as whistleblowing and oversight, in light of Foden’s offences.`
Source: Gwynedd Council expresses frustration over safeguarding report delay | cambrian-news.co.uk
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