Serious Violence Duty programmes helping prevent harm and support children across Wiltshire and Swindon

Hundreds of children and professionals across Wiltshire and Swindon benefited from Serious Violence Duty-funded programmes during 2025/26, helping to prevent violence, reduce vulnerability and provide early support to those most at risk.

Funded through the Serious Violence Duty and commissioned by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), the programmes brought together local partners to address the factors associated with serious violence, including exploitation, educational disengagement, trauma and adverse childhood experiences.

The Serious Violence Duty (SVD) is a Government directive that brings together organisations including the OPCC, police, local authorities, youth offending teams, schools, health services and care boards to share information about serious violence and work together to prevent it. Through a coordinated approach, partners can identify risks earlier, target support more effectively and help reduce violence before it occurs.

Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: "Preventing serious violence means intervening early, supporting vulnerable children and working together to address the factors that place them at risk.

"These programmes demonstrate the value of partnership working and prevention. They are helping children build resilience, improve engagement with education and access the support they need before problems escalate.

"Too often, when we talk about serious violence, we focus on the consequences rather than the causes. Through the Serious Violence Duty, we are investing in practical interventions that help steer children away from harm, exploitation and criminality before they become victims or offenders. 

"Whether that is helping a young person return to education, supporting families, increasing awareness of exploitation or building confidence and life skills, every positive intervention represents an opportunity to change a future that might otherwise have taken a very different path. 

"The reductions in offending, violence and missing episodes highlighted in these programmes show what can be achieved when organisations share information, align resources and focus on prevention. They also demonstrate why continued investment in early intervention is so important. 

"Keeping children safe is a responsibility shared across policing, education, health, local authorities and communities. By working together, we can build safer communities, reduce the risk of future harm and give more children the opportunity to thrive." 

During 2025/26, the Serious Violence Duty programme supported a range of interventions across Wiltshire and Swindon, as documented in the latest Annual Report issued this week which highlighted progress against the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan 2025-29. 

It showed how targeted support programmes worked with children facing challenges that could increase their vulnerability to violence and exploitation.  

In Wiltshire, all participants in one cohort returned to education, while improvements were also recorded in school attendance, engagement and confidence in support services.  

In Swindon, 27 children took part, reporting improved confidence, communication and leadership skills, alongside stronger engagement with education, family and future opportunities. 

The Focused Deterrence Serious Youth Violence Prevention Programme also delivered encouraging results. Evaluation of the Wiltshire cohort found a 90% reduction in offending behaviour and an 88% reduction in missing episodes.  

Earlier analysis also identified significant reductions in first-time offending and violence-related offences among participants. In Swindon, engagement levels remained high, with children reporting improvements in wellbeing, confidence and communication skills.

Alongside direct support for children, EscapeLine delivered specialist child criminal exploitation training to 392 professionals across education, health, policing and partner organisations, helping increase awareness of exploitation and improve safeguarding responses.

Additional programmes included DiversITy, which helped children develop digital, business and problem-solving skills, Stronger Futures, which worked with boys aged 10 to 13 to build resilience and personal safety awareness, and detached youth work in Swindon, providing outreach support and engagement in local communities. 

The Serious Violence Duty requires local agencies to work together to prevent and reduce serious violence through a public health approach focused on causes, prevention and early intervention.  

During 2025/26, £249,000 of funding supported programmes including Focused Deterrence, EscapeLine, DiversITy, Stronger Futures and detached youth work.  

Evaluation of the relevant Focused Deterrence and similar cohorts showed substantial reductions in offending behaviour and missing episodes, with HMICFRS identifying the approach as promising practice.  

Together, these programmes are helping partners identify vulnerability earlier, support children more effectively and reduce the risk of future harm, contributing to safer communities across Wiltshire and Swindon. 

Mr Wilkinson added: “At the heart of the Serious Violence Duty is a simple principle: preventing harm is always better than responding to it after the event. 

"The positive outcomes achieved through these programmes show what can happen when organisations work together to identify vulnerability early and provide the right support at the right time. 

"Across Wiltshire and Swindon, children have been supported to re-engage with education, develop confidence and resilience and avoid behaviours that could place them at risk of violence or exploitation. 

"These are not just statistics. Behind every intervention is a young person whose future may be safer, healthier and more positive because support was available when it was needed most. 

"I am grateful to all of the partners involved in delivering this work and remain committed to supporting approaches that tackle the causes of serious violence, protect vulnerable children and help build stronger communities for the future." 

Published Monday 2 November 2026