Social Media Spying 2022

In 2022, I was voted in as the vice chair of Bristol Parent Carer Forum at a Special General Meeting. It was really the point the previous ‘tea and biscuits’ forum ended and actually evolved into a proper fully functioning Parent Carer Forum.

Regular forum meetings occurred and co-production appeared to be back in full swing – although there were suspicions that Bristol City Council was not really actively invested in repairing the relationship.

At no point did I disclose anything that I heard in confidential meetings. Everything that I wrote about Send, Tweeted or mentioned in the public forum of council meetings was only information published by the council in public areas itself.

During the spring, it was obvious once again that the council definitely had issues with the parent carer forum.

In April 2022, the forum agreed to meet with the then Executive Director of People, Hugh Evans and Director of Education Alison Hurley, about the relationship. this took place in June 2022.

Prior to this, one person from Contact and one person from the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), met with forum officers to discuss issues in advance. The then representative of the NNPCF told me directly, she would never take action against the council regarding Sendist tribunal. A bizarrely establishment response at the expense of children’s education and wellbeing. This stance became less surprisingly when she went on to accept an OBE. Feet under the table and hard luck to families you represent. There is a lot of self-interest in Send. And money once you become a Contact Associate.

In June 2022. I resigned from being the vice chair after attending a meeting which was pretty much a bullying diatribe from both Evans and Hurley. I also stopped co-running the support group as I felt I could no longer be part of the forum after what had happened.

It was in the July that allegations of spying were made public. I was on holiday when my phone went into meltdown. The infamous article in The Bristolian was quite shocking. That officers had behaved in such a way. Even more so was the Spies, lies and cover-up that was to come. Right after Bristol City Council’s political decision to no longer fund the parent carer forum.

This email shows the former Executive Director of People, Hugh Evans, mocking the spelling of a dyslexic member of the forum. Evans is now Executive Director of the Adults and Communities Directorate. This means he heads vulnerable adults in Adult Social Care.

Here, Evans accuses the Forum of acting in a duplicitous manner. Once I had resigned, I had no part in the running of BPCF.

This is someone who was being paid the best part of £200k allowed free reign to spy and mock Bristolians.

It’s also worth saying that the Director Sarah Parker, who worked for Bristol City Council for just over half a year and whose agency received £121k in that period of time, still managed to wedge herself into the spying row.

This document shows Director Sarah Parker’s involvement

More details about the ‘plan’ can be found in the section on the Disabled Children’s Team page.

Even when I was very careful not to conflate being in BPCF, the council did not like this either.

Note that the below Tweet shows the council monitoring Tweets posted in real time

A communication plan by Bristol City Council, showed the council had no intention of ever working with Bristol Parent Carers