Powys children's care crisis: Councillors 'not warned'

Inspectors said Powys County Council had put children at risk due to social services failings

Senior officers at Powys council knew of problems in children's services a year before a damning inspectors' report, but did not warn councillors.

In October 2017, the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) said poor oversight had put children at risk.

An independent report found that an audit uncovered problems in 2016.

Council leader Rosemarie Harris said: "It was a pity we did not know about this earlier."

James Gibson-Watt, who leads the Liberal Democrat and Green opposition, said there were "hard questions to answer", while Plaid Cymru group leader Elwyn Vaughan urged the council to focus on its "present challenges" rather than seeking someone to blame.

Earlier this year Ms Harris asked Powys's director of environment, Nigel Brinn, to lead an independent review into what happened.

His report, sent to councillors but not yet published, has been obtained by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mr Brinn found that in 2016 consultants Peopletoo were asked to look at eight sample cases and highlighted serious concerns about the management of cases and the care children and young people were receiving.

Powys council leader Rosemarie Harris said serious problems "should be brought up"

Senior officers were given the report in July 2016 and held meetings with departmental heads, but Mr Brinn said councillors were not alerted to its findings until after the CSSIW inspection.

"The findings should have been escalated to the management team and to the cabinet via the cabinet/management team meetings but this was not done," he said in the report.

• Damning care report prompts takeover call

• Dispute on when child failings emerged

• Care crisis council looks for new boss

Ms Harris said audit reports for operational management "would not normally be expected to get into the political arena", but added: "Should there be something serious that needs highlighting, it should be brought up."

The report, which recommends that senior officers alert council leaders to such serious findings in future, is likely to be discussed by a scrutiny committee in the coming months.