The Children's Select Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Tuesday 28 July 2026 to discuss school attendance, the Wiltshire SEND Reform Plan, and the Young Carers Annual Report. Key decisions included the endorsement of a recommendation to establish a standing task group for SEND reform and the approval of the Forward Work Programme.

School Attendance

The committee received an update on the progress of Wiltshire's Attendance Strategy 2026-2028. The strategy continues to be implemented, with a draft plan due to be reviewed by the Wiltshire Attendance Strategy Steering Group. The Education Welfare Service has successfully completed targeting support meetings with schools, improving engagement from the previous year. A Wiltshire attendance dashboard is now in place to monitor school attendance data against national and regional comparators. The data presented for the Autumn Term showed Wiltshire's overall attendance rate was 6.27%, slightly better than the England average of 6.47% and the South West average of 6.75%. Persistent absence and severe absence rates also showed positive trends compared to previous years and national averages. The committee noted this update.

Rapid Scrutiny: Wiltshire SEND Reform Plan

The committee considered the findings and recommendations from the rapid scrutiny exercise of the Wiltshire SEND Reform Plan. The Executive welcomed the scrutiny and accepted the recommendation to establish a standing task group for SEND Reform. This task group will provide ongoing elected member oversight, challenge emerging risks, and ensure the plan remains focused on improving outcomes for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families. The Executive proposed that the task group receive regular updates on progress, delivery risks, impact measures, and the experiences of schools, children, young people, and families. The committee endorsed the recommendation to set up this standing task group, with its remit including scrutiny of schools' response to SEND reform, the recruitment and access to Experts at Hand resources, the effectiveness of relationships between education, the council, and health services, and communication between delivery partners and parents.

Young Carers Annual Report 2025/26

The committee received the Young Carers Annual Report 2025/26, which provided an overview of the service's activity, performance, and impact. The report highlighted strong performance in assessment timeliness, with 94% of initial visits completed within 10 working days and 99% of assessments completed within 25 working days. The commissioned service delivered by Youth Action Wiltshire showed high satisfaction rates among young carers, with an average score of 8.8/10. The report also noted the importance of early identification, with young carers often intersecting with wider vulnerabilities. A key area for continued scrutiny was the timeliness of commissioned support plans, which did not consistently meet the 95% target. The sustainability of the commissioned service model, which relies on grants and fundraising beyond the contracted contribution, was also identified as a risk. The committee noted the report and requested that the Annual Report 2026/27 be submitted in 12 months.

Children We Care For: Sufficiency and Cost Assurance

The committee received a report detailing strategies to manage the rising number of children entering care and the associated rising provider costs. While the number of children in care had increased slightly, financial pressures were primarily driven by rising accommodation and external placement costs rather than significant increases in demand alone. Strategies in place include developing local provision, new supported accommodation, and children's homes, alongside efforts to support reunification and kinship care. Early evidence suggested these demand management measures were having a positive impact, with a reduction in the number of children in care and growth in kinship care arrangements. Wiltshire maintained a lower rate of children in care than its statistical neighbours. The committee noted the report and requested an annual update on care, foster recruitment, and prevention.

Post 16 Education and Skills White Paper

A report was presented outlining the implications of the government's Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper and Wiltshire's response to the emerging reforms. The paper detailed significant national policy reforms across education, skills, employment, and SEND. Wiltshire was considered well-placed to respond due to strong performance in supporting young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET), and ongoing delivery of programmes like Skills Bootcamps. The report highlighted forthcoming reforms to qualifications and post-16 pathways, including V Levels and revised Level 2 pathways. The committee noted the report.

Updates from Task Groups and Representatives from Programme Boards

The committee received an update on recent work from Task Groups and Rapid Scrutiny Exercises linked to the Children's Select Committee. This included updates on the Adoption West Joint Scrutiny Panel and the Rapid Scrutiny of Wiltshire's SEND Reform Plan. The committee noted the update.

Cabinet Member Update

Verbal updates were provided by Councillor Jo Trigg, Portfolio Holder for Transitions; Councillor Charlie Stokes, Portfolio Holder for Education & SEND; and Councillor John Wells, Portfolio Holder for Innovation and Best Value in Children's Services. These updates covered ongoing work in strengthening transitions for young people, engagement with schools and partners, and efforts to improve support and outcomes for children and young people.

Forward Work Programme

The committee received the Forward Work Programme for consideration. This included noting ongoing scrutiny activity, task groups, and rapid scrutiny exercises. The committee approved the Forward Work Programme and agreed to add 'Disadvantaged Learners' as an item to it.

Date of Next Meeting

The date of the next meeting was confirmed as 8 September 2026.

Department for Education (DfE) Updates

The committee received a written report providing an update on developments relating to Children's Services arising from the Department for Education for the period June to July 2026. Points discussed included new missions to transform the childhoods of disadvantaged children, the delivery of the children's social care reset, and funding for PE and school sport. The committee noted the report.