Wales sets out plans to end the physical punishment of children

Tuesday, 9 January 2018 00:01

The Welsh Government is seeking views on its plans to end the physical punishment of children in Wales. The Minister for Children and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies, has today launched a 12 week consultation on the Welsh Government’s proposal to remove the defence of reasonable punishment in Wales - part of a much wider package of measures the Welsh Government is taking to support children to have the best start in life, and to support their parents to...Request free trial

The Welsh Government is seeking views on its plans to end the physical punishment of children in Wales.

The Minister for Children and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies, has today launched a 12 week consultation on the Welsh Government’s proposal to remove the defence of reasonable punishment in Wales - part of a much wider package of measures the Welsh Government is taking to support children to have the best start in life, and to support their parents to do the best job they can.

The Welsh Government has a long standing record of working to ensure children have the best start in life and of promoting children’s rights. This is why the Welsh Government is now intending to bring forward legislation to make it clear that physically punishing a child is no longer acceptable in Wales.

The proposed legislation would not involve the creation of a new offence. It would instead remove a defence to the existing offences of assault and battery. It would mean any adult looking after a child would no longer be able to use physical or corporal punishment against them.

The Minister said the Welsh Government’s aim was to accelerate existing trends in the way parents in Wales discipline their children and to support them in feeling confident to choose positive and more effective methods of discipline.

Launching the consultation, Huw Irranca-Davies said:

“We all want to give our children the best start in life. As a parent of three boys myself, I know being a parent can sometimes be a challenging experience. Children do not come with an instruction manual and sometimes parents need guidance and support to help them raise healthy and happy children.

“Our knowledge of what children need to grow and thrive has developed considerably over the last 20 years. We now know that physical punishment can have negative long term impacts on a child’s life chances, and we also know it is an ineffective punishment. Whilst physically punishing children was accepted as normal practice in previous generations, we know that it is increasingly being seen as less acceptable and parents feel less comfortable

“We want parents in Wales to be confident in managing their children’s behaviour without feeling they must resort to physical punishment. If there is any potential risk of harm to a child then it is our obligation as a Government to take action. Legislation was introduced many years ago to stop physical punishment in schools and childcare settings – now is the time to ensure it is no longer acceptable anywhere.

“This is why as a Government we are bringing forward legislation to remove the defence of reasonable punishment, to make it clear that physically punishing a child is no longer acceptable in Wales.

“I am aware there are differing views on this legislation; this consultation provides an opportunity for everyone to have their say to help us try to address concerns as the legislation develops.”

The consultation closes on 2^nd April 2018.

ENDS

Background

The Welsh Government’s commitment to children’s welfare

The Welsh Government is proud of its record of promoting children’s rights and working to ensure all children in Wales have the best start in life.The Welsh Government’s ambition is that the rights of every child and young person in Wales should be promoted and respected to enable them to meet their full potential.
When the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 was passed, it broke new ground. We were brave enough to be the first in the UK, and amongst only a few in Europe and the world, to put such arrangements in place.

Legislative competence

The Government of Wales Act 2006 was amended by the Wales Act 2017 to make explicit provision allowing for the National Assembly to legislate on matters concerning ‘parental discipline’

Parenting advice

In 2015, the Welsh Goverment launched the “Parenting. Give it time” campaign which is targeted at all those responsible for raising children from birth to 5 years old. It aims to equip parents with the tools to help them do the best job they can, through a website and media campaign providing positive parenting tips and information.
Flying Start is a Welsh Government programme for families with children under 4 years of age who live in disadvantaged communities in Wales. In addition to receiving parenting support, parents and careers in Flying Start areas are entitled to intensive health visiting, good quality part time childcare for 2-3 year olds and support for speech, language and communication.
Families First supports parents in a number of ways, from the provision of information and advice to the provision of evidence based parenting interventions. Projects which provide access to parenting interventions or parenting support services cover a range of ages, from pre-birth to older children.
The Healthy Child Wales Programme is a professionally led service change programme that provides an all Wales framework for delivery of Health Visiting and School Nursing activity for children from birth to seven years.
The “Education begins at Home” campaign was launched in May 2014 and aims to encourage parents and carers to take an active interest in their child’s education by doing simple things, like reading with their child and making sure they have a healthy breakfast.

The views of parents and others on the physical punishment of children

There have been a number of independent surveys of current parents commissioned by the UK and Welsh Governments exploring parents’ attitudes to corporal punishment and the law. Due to the different methodologies used and characteristics of the respondents in these surveys they are not directly comparable, but they do indicate that, overall, opinion has shifted in the last decade to be less supportive of corporal punishment with an increase in support for a complete ban on parents hitting their children.