“What we would like to see is the Welsh Government taking a different approach and instead working closely with local authorities to ensure that there are support systems in place for parents and schools to call upon to deal with hard core truancy.”
I agree with the above, there are different levels of truancy, fining parents will help short term, but there is probably an underlying issue why these children stay away, slow learners etc made to feel stupid, mickey taking, it's easier not to go in, and it's only recently that dyslexia/ADD were recognized.
The down side of being under educated, apart from poor job prospects, is I think, these are the youngsters who end up in trouble, drugs, crime, and a criminal record, then they have children, and another cycle starts all over again.
I think it would be better and more economical to sort the problem now, rather than later, ...if it's not to late.