Posted: Mon 20th Sep 2021

Law to end the physical punishment of children in Wales to be introduced in six months

Wrexham.com for people living in or visiting the Wrexham area
This article is old - Published: Monday, Sep 20th, 2021

With six months to go before a new law ending the physical punishment of children in Wales comes into force, more than £2.9m is being invested in parenting support.

The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 gives children the same protection from assault as adults by removing an archaic 160-year-old legal defence.

The Act received Royal Assent on 20 March 2020 and it will come into force on 21 March 2022.

It will apply to everybody in Wales, including visitors and all types of physical punishment, such as smacking, hitting, slapping and shaking, will be illegal.

Attitudes towards physical punishment have changed – fewer parents and guardians of young children in Wales today support physical punishment. What was seen as acceptable 30 years ago is less so now.

To help raise awareness of this landmark legislation, a nationwide multi-media advertising campaign – called The Sound of Change.

The £2.9m, over four years, will be available to all local authorities in Wales to fund positive parenting support.

It will mean that in cases where the police believe it is appropriate to offer an out-of-court disposal there will be an option of offering support to help avoid re-offending. This will, however, depend on individual circumstances.

Julie Morgan, Deputy Minister for Social Services, said: “This week marks the beginning of our six-month countdown as we move towards the day when children in Wales will have the legal right to be protected from all forms of violence, however minor.

“I have campaigned for many decades for this change in the law and I am very proud Wales will soon join more than 60 other nations across the world which have outlawed the use of physical punishment towards children.

“Absolutely key to this is providing the necessary information, advice and support for parents to help manage their children’s behaviour without resorting to physical punishment.

“Our campaign will signpost parents to support we’re already providing through our Parenting. Give it Time campaign, health visitors, and our family support programmes, including Flying Start and Families First.

“But we have gone a step further and I’m pleased to announce a new funding package for additional tailored parenting support as a rehabilitative alternative to prosecution in cases where the police are involved.

“This support, delivered by local authorities, will be designed to encourage and support parents in adopting positive parenting techniques while making it absolutely clear that the physical punishment of children is unacceptable in all circumstances.”

Sally Holland, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, added: “This is landmark legislation for children’s rights in Wales and cannot come soon enough. I wholeheartedly support this legislation as there is no room for physical punishment in Wales or the long-term trauma caused to children as a result of it.

“I’m pleased to see the Welsh Government investing in raising awareness of this new law and promoting positive parenting techniques. Physical punishment simply does not work as a means of disciplining children.”

Jonathan Griffiths, president of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Cymru, said: “Over the next six months we want to work alongside the Welsh Government and local safeguarding partners in each region in Wales to ensure all parents and carers are made aware of the law before it comes into force next year.

“Parenting is not easy, but there are effective means of disciplining children out there which do not need to involve the use of physical punishment.”

The law has been welcomed by NSPCC Cymru/Wales, with Policy & Public Affairs Manager Vivienne Laing saying “the need for change has long been there.”

Ms Laing said: “Physical punishment is an emotive subject – it speaks to how we were parented and how we parent. At the NSPCC, we’ve long been calling for change – to give all children the same protection from physical assault as adults. 
 
“Just as before, it will be for our police forces and the courts to decide what meets the threshold for assault, but the change means that adults who are charged with assaulting a child in Wales will no longer be able to claim it was a ‘reasonable punishment’ in court.
 
“There is mounting evidence that shows physical punishment isn’t an effective way to discipline children and, worse, carries with it a risk of harm.

“The need for change has long been there and we know from our Childline counsellors that the pandemic has placed additional stresses on families and many children and young people have experienced more frequent physical punishment since lockdown began, underlying the importance for this cultural change. 
 
“Our campaign in Wales has been a long and, at times, difficult one. But, in six months’ time this significant change will make our nation the second UK country to protect children from all forms of physical violence, joining more than 60 others worldwide – and we should be proud of that.”



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