When will the Cabinet Secretary publish the results of the local pilots regarding the effectiveness of the regulations for identifying children who may be missing education?
The purpose of the Children Missing Education Database (Wales) Regulations is to help local authorities to identify children in their areas who may be missing education. A pilot for the database regulations will commence from March 2025 with a small number of local authorities.
An evaluation will be undertaken alongside the pilot, which will focus on the effectiveness of the database regulations in helping local authorities to identify children who may be missing education. The evaluation report will help inform whether separate measures, including a duty to notify local authorities if a child is not receiving education at a maintained school in the area, may be necessary.
A timetable for the evaluation, including a date for submission of a final report, will be agreed once researchers have been appointed to undertake the evaluation.