Expert hails “encouraging progress” on child safeguarding after paedophile scandal

Dale Spridgeon, Local Democracy Reporter

An expert has highlighted “encouraging progress” in efforts to strengthen child safeguarding arrangements in Welsh county after paedophile scandal.

It comes after ongoing work by Cyngor Gwynedd following the horrific crimes of the bullying and predatory paedophile, the former headteacher Neil Foden.

In a report to the council’s Cabinet Professor Sally Holland said: “Strengthening safeguarding arrangements and embedding a child-centred, rights-based approach across a whole system takes time, sustained leadership, and requires careful scrutiny.

“I am encouraged by much of the progress being made and the willingness to learn and adapt.

“The programme is ambitious and will continue to demand senior staff time and other resources to be successful.

“The independent experts on the board and I will continue to provide constructive support and robust oversight to Cabinet as this work progresses.”

Professor Holland is a Professor of Social Work at the Centre for Children’s Social Care Research and Development (CASCADE) at Cardiff University and a former Children’s Commissioner for Wales (2015-2022).

Her words came as the council’s Cabinet also adopted a newly revised Response Plan, at its meeting on Tuesday, March 10.

An original Response Plan was adopted by Cyngor Gwynedd’s Cabinet in January, 2025 to ensure that “lessons were learned” and that the Council strengthened the county’s child safeguarding arrangements.

The Response Board was set up to lead, monitor and challenge progress and report back to the Cabinet.

Professor Sally Holland was appointed to take up the role of Independent Chair of the Board in February, 2025.

The council said it had now been “reviewed and strengthened” in line with detailed feedback from several committees and its Full Council.

The original plan had been published following the offences committed by the disgraced headteacher .

He was the former head at Ysgol Friars, in Bangor and the strategic head at Ysgol Dyffryn in Nantlle.

Foden from Old Colwyn, was jailed in 2024 for 17 years after being convicted of 19 charges involving four girls.

The Child Practice Review commissioned by the North Wales Safeguarding Board, investigated how he was able to sexually abuse girls for years and had identified 52 missed chances to stop him.

Tribute to victims

Welcoming Professor Holland’s progress report and the revised Response Plan – Councillor Nia Jeffreys, Leader of Cyngor Gwynedd, said of the two reports, presented to the Cabinet on Tuesday:

“We are determined to ensure that the voices of young people are heard and that their experiences are taken seriously.

“The greatest tribute we can pay to the courage of the victims and survivors is the promise of taking action to implement change so that the failures highlighted in the Our Bravery Brought Justice report do not happen again.

“Today’s report by Professor Sally Holland and the formal adoption of the revised Response Plan and further important steps on the journey for Cyngor Gwynedd.”

Councillor Dewi Jones, Cyngor Gwynedd Cabinet Member for Education, added: “The Cabinet is grateful to Professor Sally Holland for her latest report and to the members of the Response Board for their work, having this depth of experience and expertise in safeguarding around the table is of great help to the Council as we move forward.

“The new Response Plan includes new workstreams and the Response Board will continue to monitor progress.”

Councillor Menna Trenholme, Deputy Leader of Cyngor Gwynedd and Cabinet Member for the Children and Family Support Department, added: “The Response Plan has already led to change but there is still a lot of work to be done.”