Browse content similar to 20/03/2012. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!
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This woman made a complaint of alleged abuse at a centre... | 0:00:04 | 0:00:08 | |
..for people with severe learning disabilities in Carmarthen. | 0:00:08 | 0:00:11 | |
She says the local council hasn't dealt with the complaint... | 0:00:11 | 0:00:14 | |
..and she's been punished for raising it. | 0:00:14 | 0:00:17 | |
I've lost out financially, but what worries me most... | 0:00:17 | 0:00:21 | |
..is the effect this has had these people. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:26 | |
Tonight, on Taro 9, does the whistleblower pay the price? | 0:00:26 | 0:00:31 | |
Subtitles | 0:00:32 | 0:00:33 | |
Subtitles | 0:00:33 | 0:00:35 | |
Llansteffan, Carmarthenshire. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
Throughout her life, Delyth Jenkins has lived and worked in the area. | 0:01:04 | 0:01:09 | |
From 1994 on, she was an administrative officer... | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
..at a day centre in Johnstown, run by Carmarthenshire Council. | 0:01:12 | 0:01:17 | |
Adults with severe learning difficulties attend the centre... | 0:01:17 | 0:01:20 | |
..and one individual, Sally, not her real name, stays in her mind. | 0:01:21 | 0:01:26 | |
I'd say she was seven-and-a-half, eight stone at the most. | 0:01:29 | 0:01:32 | |
She can't talk. | 0:01:32 | 0:01:34 | |
She gets frustrated when people don't understand what she wants. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:39 | |
I regularly felt that people didn't have time for her. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:44 | |
We can't show you Sally's picture... | 0:01:51 | 0:01:53 | |
..as her family don't want her to be recognised. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:56 | |
But in June 2005, something happened at this centre behind me... | 0:01:56 | 0:02:01 | |
..that would change the lives of Sally, her family... | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
..and Delyth Jenkins forever. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:07 | |
I was in the office and I heard the door opening. | 0:02:07 | 0:02:11 | |
I didn't hear anything afterwards, so I knew someone had gone out. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:17 | |
Then Delyth Jenkins looked out of her window. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:22 | |
I could see Sally out in the car park. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:27 | |
People who attended the centre weren't supposed to go out... | 0:02:27 | 0:02:30 | |
..unless accompanied by a member of staff. | 0:02:31 | 0:02:33 | |
Delyth Jenkins was worried that Sally was outside alone. | 0:02:33 | 0:02:37 | |
I went out and as soon as she saw me, she sat down. | 0:02:37 | 0:02:42 | |
I tried, for a few seconds, to coax her back in.. | 0:02:43 | 0:02:47 | |
..but she refused to move. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:49 | |
Guidelines say care has to be taken in attempting to move or carry... | 0:02:49 | 0:02:54 | |
..people with severe learning disabilities... | 0:02:54 | 0:02:56 | |
..Delyth decided to call for the help of two colleagues. | 0:02:56 | 0:03:01 | |
Without warning, Officer B held her under her arms... | 0:03:01 | 0:03:05 | |
..and yanked her up. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:08 | |
While she did that, the other witness tried to tell her... | 0:03:10 | 0:03:14 | |
..to leave her alone, that she'd get up in her own time. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:18 | |
The way she was lifted went completely against her care plan. | 0:03:18 | 0:03:24 | |
Then she was pushed into the centre... | 0:03:24 | 0:03:28 | |
..and then pushed into the toilet. | 0:03:28 | 0:03:31 | |
Delyth Jenkins didn't witness what happened inside the toilet... | 0:03:31 | 0:03:36 | |
..but her colleague who followed Sally and Officer B into the toilet.. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:41 | |
..alleged she had heard Officer B hitting Sally. | 0:03:41 | 0:03:45 | |
The other worker went after them and then she heard a slap. | 0:03:45 | 0:03:51 | |
The incident was among a number things that worried Delyth Jenkins... | 0:03:57 | 0:04:01 | |
..about the way vulnerable people were treated at the centre. | 0:04:01 | 0:04:06 | |
She was worried Officer B wasn't qualified to work with... | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
..people with severe learning disabilities. | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
In 2005, she took her complaints to her managers in the council. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:17 | |
A lot of good people work in these types of centres... | 0:04:17 | 0:04:21 | |
..but it's been the easiest job to get into... | 0:04:21 | 0:04:25 | |
..and you're working with the most vulnerable people in society. | 0:04:25 | 0:04:30 | |
It's important to ensure they do the checks... | 0:04:31 | 0:04:34 | |
..and they employ the right people because it's not for everyone. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:38 | |
Sally's mother doesn't want to be seen on camera... | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
..as she doesn't want her daughter to be recognized. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:47 | |
She feels indebted to Delyth Jenkins for raising her concerns... | 0:04:47 | 0:04:51 | |
..about the way her daughter was treated. | 0:04:51 | 0:04:54 | |
I'd like to thank her on behalf of myself and my husband... | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
..but mostly for my daughter and the vulnerable people... | 0:04:59 | 0:05:03 | |
..that are in the centre that she spoke up for and protected. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
According to the mother, Delyth Jenkins was punished for her bravery. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:12 | |
I think she was very badly treated, Mrs Jenkins... | 0:05:12 | 0:05:16 | |
..for the way she supported vulnerable people in the centre. | 0:05:16 | 0:05:21 | |
When a complaint of abuse is made and an investigation is held... | 0:05:21 | 0:05:25 | |
..the accused are usually suspended from work. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
Despite Delyth Jenkins's complaint, Officer B... | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
..who denied hitting Sally, remained in post for five months. | 0:05:32 | 0:05:36 | |
She didn't feel her complaint was adequately addressed by the council. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:40 | |
They didn't give any feedback at all. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:43 | |
The policy is that when someone makes a compliant... | 0:05:43 | 0:05:46 | |
..they should reply within 10 days and give regular feedback. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:50 | |
But they didn't listen. They just didn't take is seriously. | 0:05:50 | 0:05:55 | |
In June 2006, 10 months after Delyth Jenkins... | 0:05:56 | 0:06:00 | |
..made an official complaint to the county council... | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
..she met with the council official who was handling the complaint. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:07 | |
What the official said to her was of great concern. | 0:06:07 | 0:06:10 | |
I told her what was going on. | 0:06:11 | 0:06:13 | |
She said, "We know what's going on within the department.... | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
"..but the glass is too thick above." | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
She said my complaints went nowhere. | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
What did you think she was trying to tell you? | 0:06:23 | 0:06:28 | |
That someone was stopping things. | 0:06:28 | 0:06:31 | |
In July 2006, Delyth Jenkins decided to take her complaint... | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
..to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:38 | |
Within two days, she received a reply... | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
..saying they would look into her complaints. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:43 | |
On occasion, the Ombudsman deals with complaints from 'whistleblowers'... | 0:06:43 | 0:06:47 | |
..people like Delyth Jenkins... | 0:06:47 | 0:06:48 | |
..who draw attention to workplace maladministration. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:51 | |
We went to Middlesex University to meet Professor David Lewis... | 0:06:53 | 0:06:57 | |
..one of Britain's top experts on whistleblowing. | 0:06:57 | 0:07:00 | |
The academic says it takes great bravery for individuals... | 0:07:00 | 0:07:04 | |
..to voice their concerns if they see maladministration in their workplace. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:08 | |
If they do face problems... | 0:07:09 | 0:07:12 | |
..it's likely to be that they're not believed, that they're ignored... | 0:07:12 | 0:07:16 | |
..that they're seen as trouble-makers, they're ostracised. | 0:07:16 | 0:07:20 | |
So it can have an extremely negative effect. | 0:07:20 | 0:07:25 | |
Delyth Jenkins felt that some were trying to make things hard for her... | 0:07:25 | 0:07:30 | |
..and making her life miserable. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:33 | |
After taking her complaint to the Ombudsman... | 0:07:33 | 0:07:35 | |
..she says she started receiving sinister phone calls. | 0:07:36 | 0:07:38 | |
TELEPHONE | 0:07:39 | 0:07:40 | |
They always happened in clusters... | 0:07:40 | 0:07:42 | |
..at times when the investigation was progressing. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:46 | |
There were sometimes three or four a day. | 0:07:47 | 0:07:49 | |
I started to log them and there were more than 100 by the end. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:54 | |
I'd answer, say good morning and the name of the place... | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
..there'd be silence, then they'd hang up. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:01 | |
It was done in order to harass me and threaten me. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:07 | |
Delyth Jenkins logged the calls from Summer 2006 to September 2009. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:14 | |
She answered most at her office but she also received calls at home. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:20 | |
Are you sure that was the intention? | 0:08:20 | 0:08:23 | |
Perhaps someone was making a mistake or maybe it was a coincidence. | 0:08:23 | 0:08:27 | |
It always happened when things were progressing to another level... | 0:08:27 | 0:08:34 | |
..and there were too many. | 0:08:34 | 0:08:36 | |
Delyth Jenkins took her complaints... | 0:08:37 | 0:08:39 | |
..to the highest level in the county council. | 0:08:40 | 0:08:43 | |
In a meeting with the Director of Public Services, Bruce McLernon... | 0:08:43 | 0:08:47 | |
..she says he promised to deal with her concerns. | 0:08:47 | 0:08:51 | |
The administrative officer... | 0:08:52 | 0:08:53 | |
..had also contacted the council's Chief Executive, Mark James. | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
I wrote to him in July 2006, outlining all the complaints. | 0:08:56 | 0:09:05 | |
It seems that he passed it on to his monitoring officer and... | 0:09:05 | 0:09:09 | |
..I heard nothing further about it. | 0:09:10 | 0:09:12 | |
Although senior council official were aware of the complaints... | 0:09:13 | 0:09:17 | |
..Carmarthenshire County Council's department of Social Services... | 0:09:17 | 0:09:20 | |
..had not informed Sally's family of the alleged incident. | 0:09:20 | 0:09:24 | |
More than a year passed before the mother heard of... | 0:09:24 | 0:09:27 | |
..an investigation into allegations that her daughter had been abused... | 0:09:27 | 0:09:31 | |
..which in council care. | 0:09:31 | 0:09:33 | |
It was by accident that we found out about it, a year after. | 0:09:33 | 0:09:37 | |
I didn't realise that they were investigating allegations of abuse. | 0:09:37 | 0:09:41 | |
Because of this, we continued to send my daughter there. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:44 | |
She was then abused by a second member of staff. | 0:09:44 | 0:09:49 | |
In July 2006, witnesses claim to have seen Sally... | 0:09:51 | 0:09:55 | |
..being hit across the head by another member of staff... | 0:09:55 | 0:09:59 | |
..who resigned soon afterwards. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:01 | |
And Sally didn't only suffer physical abuse... | 0:10:02 | 0:10:05 | |
..according to Delyth Jenkins. | 0:10:05 | 0:10:07 | |
She also suffered psychological bullying. | 0:10:07 | 0:10:09 | |
Sally had refused to eat her lunch, and she was told... | 0:10:09 | 0:10:13 | |
..she couldn't have her pudding because "she's got to learn". | 0:10:13 | 0:10:17 | |
The following day, she wasn't given pudding again... | 0:10:18 | 0:10:20 | |
..because it would look as if they were giving in to her. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:25 | |
Officer B's disciplinary hearing was held in May 2007... | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
..almost two years after the first alleged incident of abuse. | 0:10:28 | 0:10:33 | |
Although she was found guilty of misconduct... | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
..Carmarthenshire County Council decided... | 0:10:36 | 0:10:38 | |
..there wasn't enough evidence to prove that she'd hit Sally. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:42 | |
Although Officer B no longer works at the Johnstown Day Centre... | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
..she still has an administrative position... | 0:10:46 | 0:10:49 | |
..in the care services department. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
During the ombudsman's investigation... | 0:10:52 | 0:10:53 | |
..Delyth Jenkins heard rumours that efforts were being made... | 0:10:54 | 0:10:57 | |
..to move her to a different job within the council. | 0:10:57 | 0:11:01 | |
By summer 2009, four years after the original complaint... | 0:11:01 | 0:11:05 | |
..the strain was affecting her health. | 0:11:05 | 0:11:07 | |
I call it psychological abuse. They just tried to wear me down. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:12 | |
I had chest pains. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:15 | |
My blood pressure had gone through the roof. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:18 | |
I didn't want to go to work. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:21 | |
I kept concentrating on this ombudsman's report. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:25 | |
I kept thinking... | 0:11:26 | 0:11:27 | |
..I have to carry on to make things better for these people. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:33 | |
After the break, we'll hear the outcome of that investigation. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:38 | |
Delyth Jenkins made a complaint, claiming a disabled girl... | 0:11:57 | 0:12:01 | |
..was being abused by staff at a centre for adults... | 0:12:01 | 0:12:05 | |
..with learning difficulties in Carmarthen. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:08 | |
After failing to get answers from Carmarthen County Council... | 0:12:08 | 0:12:12 | |
..she took her complaint to the ombudsman. | 0:12:12 | 0:12:15 | |
She also turned to someone else who'd had a similar experience. | 0:12:15 | 0:12:19 | |
Eileen Chubb lost her job after voicing concerns... | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
..about mistreatment at a nursing home for the elderly in England. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:28 | |
She saw similarities between the cases. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
It's the level of failure that's scandalous. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:33 | |
It's not just one level of management... | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
..it's all the way through the council. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:39 | |
In September 2009, three years after the investigation started... | 0:12:39 | 0:12:42 | |
..the ombudsman's office published a report... | 0:12:43 | 0:12:45 | |
..on Delyth Jenkins's complaints. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:47 | |
The conclusions were damning. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:50 | |
Carmarthenshire County Council officials were severely criticised. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
This complaint was one of the most serious we've received. | 0:12:54 | 0:13:00 | |
Very often, we see isolated cases... | 0:13:01 | 0:13:05 | |
..with regard to the complaints we receive. | 0:13:05 | 0:13:08 | |
We were concerned about this case because we were aware... | 0:13:08 | 0:13:12 | |
..that similar cases were happening within the centre. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:16 | |
So it wasn't only this individual who was in danger. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:20 | |
During this time... | 0:13:20 | 0:13:22 | |
..other individuals who attended the centre were also in danger. | 0:13:22 | 0:13:26 | |
The ombudsman decided that Delyth Jenkins was right to complain. | 0:13:26 | 0:13:30 | |
The main issue was a lack of management... | 0:13:30 | 0:13:33 | |
..within the learning disability department. | 0:13:34 | 0:13:37 | |
There wasn't a culture of putting the individual... | 0:13:37 | 0:13:41 | |
..at the heart of the service. | 0:13:41 | 0:13:44 | |
There were also obvious failures in the way they investigated... | 0:13:44 | 0:13:50 | |
..the complaints they received about the service in that centre. | 0:13:50 | 0:13:56 | |
Sally's family welcomed the report... | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
..but thinking about her daughter's experiences... | 0:13:59 | 0:14:01 | |
..was heartbreaking for her mother. | 0:14:02 | 0:14:04 | |
It was heartbreaking. It still is now. | 0:14:04 | 0:14:07 | |
You know, it's very hard to send her to people who are abusing her. | 0:14:07 | 0:14:13 | |
You're hoping that they're taking care of her. | 0:14:13 | 0:14:17 | |
For charities that work with people with learning difficulties... | 0:14:17 | 0:14:20 | |
..Sally's experience was a cause for great concern. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
According to Rhodri Davies from Mencap, it raises questions... | 0:14:24 | 0:14:27 | |
..about the methods used to communicate with people... | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
..with serious learning disabilities and who can't speak... | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
..to find out about possible cases of abuse. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:37 | |
It's important for providers to consider working... | 0:14:37 | 0:14:42 | |
..with people who are experts in this field. | 0:14:42 | 0:14:48 | |
Maybe people who could work with individuals like Sally... | 0:14:48 | 0:14:51 | |
..by using special techniques like using pictures or symbols... | 0:14:51 | 0:14:57 | |
..in order to work with them, and get that feedback. | 0:14:57 | 0:15:01 | |
Unlike residential homes... | 0:15:02 | 0:15:03 | |
..day centres like the one Sally attended... | 0:15:03 | 0:15:06 | |
..are not regulated by independent agencies. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
Delyth Jenkins believes the Government... | 0:15:10 | 0:15:12 | |
..should intervene to change that. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
Carmarthenshire County Council says it has responded... | 0:15:16 | 0:15:19 | |
..to what the ombudsman raised and that it has changed the way... | 0:15:19 | 0:15:24 | |
..it deals with complaints like those you made. | 0:15:24 | 0:15:28 | |
One of the recommendations in the ombudsman's report... | 0:15:29 | 0:15:32 | |
..was that it would alert the Welsh Government about the fact... | 0:15:32 | 0:15:36 | |
..that these people are vulnerable. | 0:15:36 | 0:15:38 | |
The report said that it should be regulated from outside. | 0:15:38 | 0:15:44 | |
But it seems to me that that hasn't happened. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:48 | |
The ombudsman's report made several recommendations. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:51 | |
But what concerned Delyth Jenkins was that most of the officials... | 0:15:51 | 0:15:56 | |
..who were criticised about the way they dealt with the complaint... | 0:15:56 | 0:16:01 | |
..were still in post. | 0:16:01 | 0:16:03 | |
After the report was published, Delyth Jenkins met... | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
..the county council's chief executive, Mark James. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:09 | |
As soon as I went in, I knew he was angry. | 0:16:09 | 0:16:14 | |
When I started asking what was going to be done... | 0:16:14 | 0:16:18 | |
..as a result of the report, he shouted at me... | 0:16:18 | 0:16:22 | |
..and what he said was, "Back off a bit." | 0:16:22 | 0:16:26 | |
I felt he was quite threatening. | 0:16:26 | 0:16:29 | |
No complaints have been made against the current staff. | 0:16:29 | 0:16:32 | |
Only one staff member who worked there... | 0:16:33 | 0:16:35 | |
..when the alleged abuse occurred still works there. | 0:16:35 | 0:16:39 | |
But we wanted to know how many of the people who were criticised... | 0:16:39 | 0:16:44 | |
..by the ombudsman still work for the authority. | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
The council didn't want to discuss the staff... | 0:16:48 | 0:16:50 | |
..who were mentioned in the 2009 report. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:54 | |
The council told us this matter was settled by both sides... | 0:16:54 | 0:16:58 | |
..several months ago. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:00 | |
The council says changes have been made to the care service... | 0:17:00 | 0:17:04 | |
..since the ombudsman's report into Delyth Jenkins' complaints... | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
..and the Care Standards Inspectorate has acknowledged that. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:10 | |
You can't draw a line through things if they're inconvenient. | 0:17:11 | 0:17:15 | |
As long as those people are employed by the council... | 0:17:15 | 0:17:19 | |
..the culture is exactly the same now as it was then. | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
Are you worried it could happen again? | 0:17:23 | 0:17:26 | |
Yes. I'm seriously concerned it could happen again. | 0:17:26 | 0:17:29 | |
It's a scandalous failure. | 0:17:29 | 0:17:32 | |
According to Sally's mother, her daughter's problems... | 0:17:33 | 0:17:35 | |
..have worsened following her experiences in the day centre. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:39 | |
I think they let us down badly. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
They failed to protect my daughter on a number of occasions... | 0:17:42 | 0:17:48 | |
..before and after the abuse was reported. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:51 | |
Seven years on, she's still suffering from the effects... | 0:17:51 | 0:17:54 | |
..of what happened during that time. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:57 | |
She suffers medical and psychological problems... | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
..that will probably be with her for years. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:03 | |
The mother's concern is that Delyth Jenkins' experience... | 0:18:03 | 0:18:06 | |
..will deter staff from taking complaints to the authorities... | 0:18:06 | 0:18:10 | |
..if they believe disabled people are being abused. | 0:18:10 | 0:18:13 | |
Staff will think twice before reporting any abuse they see... | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
..because they're frightened of losing their jobs. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
Professor David Lewis is an expert in occupational law... | 0:18:21 | 0:18:25 | |
..and is used to cases like this. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:28 | |
Carmarthenshire County Council had a policy about raising concerns... | 0:18:28 | 0:18:32 | |
..about care standards when Delyth Jenkins made her complaint. | 0:18:32 | 0:18:36 | |
But according to the academic, what's on paper... | 0:18:36 | 0:18:40 | |
..and what happens in reality can be very different. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
I've had a look at the current procedure. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:48 | |
I'm not sure it's the best, but it's a question of credibility. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:52 | |
People have to have confidence... | 0:18:52 | 0:18:54 | |
..that you're going to abide by the procedure. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:57 | |
The Jenkins case suggests this procedure isn't anything other... | 0:18:57 | 0:19:01 | |
..than a piece of paper and that they won't suffer retaliation. | 0:19:01 | 0:19:05 | |
So this is a great difficulty for the authority. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:10 | |
The county council says it has put solid processes in place... | 0:19:10 | 0:19:14 | |
..following the ombudsman's report. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:16 | |
But does that mean the problems are over? | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
We've looked at how the processes and so on have changed... | 0:19:20 | 0:19:24 | |
..within the council. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:26 | |
They seem to be solid. | 0:19:26 | 0:19:28 | |
With regard to culture, that's obviously something... | 0:19:28 | 0:19:32 | |
..that's more difficult to put in place. | 0:19:32 | 0:19:34 | |
That's something that may take time to take effect. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:39 | |
We've been taking to the Care Standards Inspectorate... | 0:19:40 | 0:19:43 | |
..so that it can, within its own reviews over a period of time... | 0:19:43 | 0:19:50 | |
..make sure that the situation has improved... | 0:19:50 | 0:19:54 | |
..and is effective and permanent. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
Delyth Jenkins is pleased that the ombudsman has decided... | 0:19:57 | 0:20:00 | |
..that the county council failed to investigate her complaint. | 0:20:00 | 0:20:05 | |
However, she feels more needs to be done... | 0:20:05 | 0:20:08 | |
..to ensure this doesn't happen again. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:11 | |
The Government should give the ombudsman more powers. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:15 | |
If the Government won't deal with the matter, who will? | 0:20:15 | 0:20:20 | |
In October 2010, Delyth Jenkins left her job with the council. | 0:20:20 | 0:20:24 | |
She intended to take her former employer to an industrial tribunal. | 0:20:24 | 0:20:29 | |
But before the hearing last July, she agreed a financial settlement. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:34 | |
However, she feels she had to leave a job she enjoyed... | 0:20:34 | 0:20:38 | |
..and claims that the officials who dealt with the complaint... | 0:20:39 | 0:20:43 | |
..are still in their jobs and some have been promoted. | 0:20:43 | 0:20:47 | |
They should have lost their jobs for what they did. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:51 | |
You're talking about the most vulnerable people in society. | 0:20:51 | 0:20:55 | |
They can't stand up for themselves. | 0:20:55 | 0:20:57 | |
It's disgraceful, to be honest. | 0:20:57 | 0:20:59 | |
Taro Naw asked for an interview... | 0:21:00 | 0:21:02 | |
..with Carmarthenshire County Council's... | 0:21:02 | 0:21:04 | |
..director of care services, Bruce McLernon. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:08 | |
However, he refused. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:10 | |
The chief executive, Mark James, also refused to be interviewed. | 0:21:10 | 0:21:15 | |
In a statement, Carmarthenshire County Council told Taro 9... | 0:21:15 | 0:21:19 | |
'..that the authority is disappointed by continued efforts... | 0:21:19 | 0:21:22 | |
'..to bring this matter to the public's attention... | 0:21:23 | 0:21:25 | |
'..five or six years after the events... | 0:21:26 | 0:21:28 | |
'..suggesting, as it were, that that situation remains unchanged. | 0:21:28 | 0:21:32 | |
'At the time, the criticism, which could be justified... | 0:21:32 | 0:21:35 | |
'..of the failure of protective processes... | 0:21:35 | 0:21:38 | |
'..was taken very seriously and the authority... | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
'..has taken all the appropriate steps to ensure... | 0:21:41 | 0:21:44 | |
'..that such failures won't be repeated.' | 0:21:45 | 0:21:48 | |
The council added that they work with parents, carers... | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
..spokesgroups and managers to continually develop their services. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:58 | |
But according to an international expert on such cases... | 0:21:59 | 0:22:02 | |
..there was serious misadministration in Delyth Jenkins's case... | 0:22:02 | 0:22:05 | |
..and the Welsh Government needs to act. | 0:22:05 | 0:22:08 | |
Given the ombudsman was involved... | 0:22:08 | 0:22:11 | |
..and made a finding of serious maladministration... | 0:22:11 | 0:22:13 | |
..I would have thought the politicians should say... | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
.."This isn't good enough. It's not up to scratch. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
"This is an embarrassment, it's sending out the wrong message. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:22 | |
"We need to do something about it." | 0:22:22 | 0:22:24 | |
Another who suffered after raising concerns about care services... | 0:22:24 | 0:22:30 | |
..is calling on the Welsh Government to hold a full inquiry... | 0:22:30 | 0:22:34 | |
..into Delyth Jenkins's case. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:35 | |
We need to look at this in detail and learn lessons from this case. | 0:22:35 | 0:22:39 | |
This could apply to any council. | 0:22:39 | 0:22:42 | |
I think nationally and locally, it needs to be looked at in detail. | 0:22:42 | 0:22:46 | |
There needs to be an official inquiry into this case. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:50 | |
We requested an interview... | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
..with the Government's Deputy Health Minister, Gwenda Thomas. | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
Our request was refused. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
The Government says it can't discuss individual cases. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:01 | |
A spokesperson added that the Government understood... | 0:23:01 | 0:23:04 | |
..that Carmarthenshire County Council was responding to the report... | 0:23:04 | 0:23:07 | |
..and it would be inappropriate to comment further. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:10 | |
Despite leaving a good job and pension scheme... | 0:23:12 | 0:23:15 | |
..Delyth Jenkins is content that she has done the right thing. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
It takes strength and bravery to take a complaint about injustice... | 0:23:19 | 0:23:23 | |
..to employers, according to one who has been through the experience. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:26 | |
She's got integrity and she's got courage. | 0:23:26 | 0:23:29 | |
She'll stand up for what's right and speak out and that's not easy. | 0:23:29 | 0:23:33 | |
People like Delyth should be treasured. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:36 | |
They shouldn't be treated as she has been. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:38 | |
Delyth Jenkins isn't sure she'd have the strength... | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
..to make a similar complaint again, but she is convinced she was right... | 0:23:41 | 0:23:45 | |
..and her only choice was to challenge the council... | 0:23:45 | 0:23:50 | |
..and draw attention to the suffering of a disabled woman... | 0:23:50 | 0:23:53 | |
..and couldn't speak for herself. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:55 | |
This has had an effect on me personally. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:59 | |
I've lost trust in people, but more than that... | 0:23:59 | 0:24:03 | |
..I feel deep pity for Sally and her family. | 0:24:04 | 0:24:09 | |
It's clearly destroyed a part of their lives. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:13 | |
S4C subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd. | 0:24:31 | 0:24:34 |