I do have the same issues with Giles that I have with the Council, but I tend to try to be understanding that Giles is starting to break form. It doesn't excuse him monumentally letting down these young charges that he has literal responsibility for, and the others that he knows he is in a position of authority for and is a de facto mentor to, but it is something. Buffy fled her duty because of the pain of what it cost her and her uncertainty/hurt from those around her. She had some time in LA to come to some level of terms with her grief. Giles' grief over Jenny was pretty effectively smothered by his duty still and his personal worries for Buffy. I think that Giles is struggling in S3 with his own loss and the deeper sense that he can never be truly happy in the position that he is in. He despises having to deal with little worms like Snyder and play those games and he doesn't actually want to be a leader to a group of teens and deal with all their troubles. It is hard enough just trying to protect and guide his one slayer and he feels that he hasn't done that well either. Giles welcomed Angel and did nothing to establish/research the security of his soul and the risks of the situation. He even encouraged Buffy at points to spend time with him and as much as that doesn't make what happened his fault I think he is having problems processing where he went wrong and what he reasonably should/shouldn't have done in the events that resulted in the death of the woman he loved and an emotionally devastated slayer. Having Faith arrive who is going through additional troubles isn't even vaguely hitting his 'must do' list when he feels inadequate in spinning the plates he is already in charge of. He comes through for Buffy on an emotional level I feel in getting her to open up but he doesn't know what to do with it, it has just helped her some. Giles is still trying to fit himself into the box of watcher even though he is frayed around the edges and increasingly uncomfortable. He stumbles all the way up to his dogged following of Council procedure in Helpless which breaks this bleak miasma of uncertainty of who/what he is for him somewhat. I am still angry with him. It isn't good enough and his failure has a detrimental effect on those relying on him. But I don't think he is wilfully negligent, rather than he is too splintered in himself to provide good structured support at the moment. That doesn't stop the fact that he is the one on the ground though seeing what is happening and as much as The Council is an abject failure in caring for its slayers' personal wellbeing in their systems/attitudes, their eyes and ears are Giles'.