Monday 5 August 2013

Barnet Council loses the plot - Two Sides to every story

Sometimes, just sometimes, I am shocked beyond belief at at the shenanigans at Barnet Council. I print the two next items without comment, just an email from Kate Kennally, a director at Barnet Council and the second, a story from BBC Wales. Make your own mind up. No further comment required from me.

Email From Kate Kenally
From: **********
Date: 5 August 2013 15:50:55 BST
To: *********
Subject: Update from Kate Kennally about the appointment of Family Services Director

Dear All
Further to my earlier email, I am pleased to let you know that Nicola Francis will be joining the council on 19 August as the new Family Services Director. Nicola is a social worker by background and has extensive senior management experience of leading Children’s Services. Nicola has most recently been working in Wales, although she started and established her career in London. Nicola impressed the panel with her passion for Children’s Services, knowledge and experience of improving outcomes and commitment to early intervention and prevention. We look forward to welcoming Nicola to the authority.

Kind regards

Kate Kennally 
Director for People
Tel: 020 8359 ****.  Email: kate.kennally@barnet.gov.uk. Fax: 0870 889 ****. Mobile: 07932 ******. 
Building 2, North London Business Park, Oakleigh Road South, London, N11 1NP.
P please consider the environment - do you really need to print this email?

 This is the text from the Story on the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-22990700

And this is what it says

Nicola Francis quits following abuse files error


Related Stories

The head of a Pembrokeshire council department alleged to have wrongly disclosed sensitive child sex abuse reports has quit, it has emerged.  Nicola Francis left her job as head of the children's department last week. Allegations her department released reports about child sex abuse victims to another victim are the subject of an investigation. The alleged breach followed a report highlighting failings in safeguarding children.  These included allegations about children being locked in rooms and the hands of one being tied by a teacher. It led to the creation of a body - the Pembrokeshire Ministerial Board - by the Welsh government in 2011 to support the authority.

The panel of experts completed its work days before the alleged data breach was reported.
An official report highlighting Pembrokeshire's failings in safeguarding children led to a row between the council and the Welsh government.  Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) and Estyn carried out a joint inquiry following 25 cases of alleged professional abuse between 2007 and 2011.
The council had said it wanted to assure parents it was working tirelessly to ensure children were safe.
The allegations about wrongly disclosed child sex reports are being investigated by the Wales Information Commissioner's Office - an independent public authority set up to uphold information rights.
An email circulated to staff last week said Ms Francis had decided "to leave the council to return to England to pursue other career opportunities."

The council thanked her "for the committed service she has provided and the successes she has achieved".
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Draw your own conclusions. I have

3 comments:

Don't Call Me Dave said...

She will clearly be very welcome in Barnet where breaches of data protection rules are the norm rather than the exception.

MickeyN said...

What? Next we'll have women-beating convicts as Councillors......

Unknown said...

Doesn’t the council do CRS to people who are working in higher level postitions? Or is the Criminal Record Search just for for the ordinary lower level worker? If not CRS the Disclosure and Barring Service checks (now called) could be very handy if the council would care to check employees on this before engaging them to vulnerable people, like children.