Source: North Wales Safeguarding Board published on this website Thursday 6 November 2025 by Jill Powell
Following the completion of the Criminal Justice process into the offending of Neil Foden ex-headteacher Ysgol Friars a Child Practice Review was commissioned. The Child Practice Review aims to identify any steps that can be taken by the Safeguarding Board partners (Police, Local Authority, Health or other bodies) to achieve improvements in multi-agency child protection practice. The Child Practice Review process commenced in August 2024.
Learning from this review relates to:
- Perpetrator behaviour and the culture in the school that enabled his offending.
- The Perpetrator professional conduct and behaviour and his management and leadership of the schools at which he worked.
- Governance arrangements.
- Disclosure and decision making.
- The impact of sexual abuse on children and the wider school community.
- Improving systems and arrangements for the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
The Review Team
The Child Practice Review team consists of Jan Pickles OBE as Chair and two reviewers. Jan is an experienced reviewer having completed many similar reviews where children and young people have been sexually abused by those in positions of trust. Jan works alongside two reviewers who both have significant experience in education and child protection. The Review Team are independent and have no local connection professionally or personally and have not previously worked for any of the agencies involved.
How to contact the Review Team
In the initial stages of the Child Practice Review, we have been collecting information from many sources, spending time in the school and interviewing those that worked with Neil Foden.
We would welcome your involvement if you or family members has been impacted by the actions of Neil Foden.
As we have a fluent Welsh speaker on the team, please do contact us in your language of choice. If you feel you could contribute to the Child Practice Review or have other information to share, please contact the review team at reviews@denbighshire.gov.uk.
We wish to assure you that your information will be treated in the strictest confidence we will only breach this confidence if we believe a child or adult with care and support needs is currently at risk of harm.
Within the review you will not be identified, this is to ensure all feel able to speak up.
Current Updates
November 2025
Today, the Board has published the Child Practice Review called ‘Our Bravery Brought Justice.’
This is the Child Practice Review in response to Neil Foden’s sexual offending at Ysgol Friars in Gwynedd.
The name of the report has been chosen by one of the young people who took part in the review, and it was important that the courage of these young people was recognised and at the heart of the review.
We apologise again for the delay in the publication of the report
Please see below for the following documents and pre – recorded interviews
- Full Child Practice Review report
- Child friendly version of the report
- Pre recorded interview from the Co- Chair of the North Wales Safeguarding Board and the Chair of the Review
- Press statements from North Wales Safeguarding Board/ Chair of the Review / North Wales Police / Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board/Cyngor Gwynedd
Our Bravery Brought Justice – CPR Report Eng-_.pdf
Our Bravery Brought Justice CPR Review-Eng. Child Friendly Version.pdf
