A “damning” ombudsman report has prompted a vow that Gwynedd will continue to prioritise offering the “best possible service” for children and young people.

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, upholding a complaint by the parents of an autistic child, has forced Gwynedd Council to pay £500 compensation and for the chief executive to write a letter of apology to the family.

The findings, described by one councillor in the chamber as “damning”, had been prompted by complaints it had “inappropriately influenced” the independent investigation officer appointed to carry out an earlier probe.

The report, which refers to the complainants as ‘Mr and Mrs A’, notes that they had previously complained to the Ombudsman regarding the council (between 2010 and 2016) cutting the support hours provided for their son, ‘X’, who suffers from autism and pathological demand avoidance.

The complaint was that the authority had decided to discontinue some services – including reducing the support hours offered – which was upheld by the first ombudsman investigation in April 2018.

The investigation concluded that there had been a “failure to provide services” and recommended a comprehensive assessment of needs for the whole family.

But when another complaint was lodged on the council’s failure to assess X from September 2016 onwards, his parents claimed they had “lost faith” in the council and sought an independent investigation.

In addition to the apology – covering a failure to review the child in need plan and the distress caused – the council was also forced to seek specialist input to develop a plan for dealing with future assessment and support requests from those suffering from autism.

In response Cllr Dilwyn Morgan, the portfolio holder for children’s services, said they had “never alleged to be perfect” but that it would be “inappropriate” to make further comment in regards to the ombudsman’s report.

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