Plaid MS Sioned Williams responds to latest report following the murder of Logan Mwangi
Improvements have been made at Bridgend children's services after a five year old boy was murdered by his family, inspectors have said.
However, Care Inspectorate Wales says further improvements are still needed at Bridgend County Borough Council.
Logan Mwangi was murdered by his mother, step-father and a teenage boy in July 2021. His body was dumped in the River Ogmore close to his home in Sarn. His mother Angharad Williamson, step-father John Cole and Craig Mulligan were given life sentences for his murder.
The latest improvement check by Care Inspectorate Wales was carried out between 21 and 24 November, with a report published on Wednesday, 15 February, and is a follow-up to a performance evaluation that took place in May 2022.
South Wales West Member of Senedd, Sioned Williams recently spoke to BBC Wales Today and S4C Newyddion about this development.
Responding to the report, Sioned Williams said:
“I welcome the improvements but still more needs to be done to ensure that a horrible tragedy like this doesn’t ever happen again.
"As a member of the Senedd Children, Young People and Education committee, I have heard first hand of the impact of the pressure on Social workers on children and young people - some speaking about the effect of having 32 different social workers, some speaking about having an agency social worker for only one week."
“I call again on the Welsh Government to ensure that vital services are properly resourced, and for an independent review of children’s social work across Wales, similar to those undertaken in England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, as called for previously by Professor Donald Forrester and the British Association of Social Workers Cymru.
“I would urge that anyone who has concerns about the wellbeing of any child, whether that is physical or emotional abuse, neglect or coercive control, reports it to the relevant authorities.”
These are the contact details for raising child safety concerns across the South Wales West region:
Bridgend Council: 01656 642320
Neath Port Talbot Council: 01639 686802
Swansea Council: 01792 635700