Our Assembly Members will soon have the chance to change the law to protect children from physical punishment, improve lives and bring Wales into line with 52 other countries.

Following decades of cross sector campaigning we at Barnardo’s Cymru warmly anticipate that AMs will vote to pass the Children (Ending the Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill on Tuesday 28th January.

It would see Wales following Scotland in bringing an end to an outdated and unhelpful legal loophole which has denied our children the same right to protection from assault as adults have.

Children’s rights have been enshrined in law in Wales for almost two decades and our culture of family life and parenting is one where positive parenting approaches are preferred. In 2016 a survey found that 76 per cent of Welsh parents had not smacked their children in the previous six months.

Positive parenting works in guiding and managing children’s behaviour, whilst strengthening rather than undermining family relationships.

In countries where equal protection has already been introduced it has not been uncommon for there to be concerns, including the potential criminalisation of parents, but the fears have proved to be unfounded. This law will simply bring the right to protection from assault in line with that which adults enjoy.

We hope we will soon be celebrating an important landmark legislative change, one which finally makes a clear statement about children’s right to protection.

As a Barnardo’s Cymru practitioner succinctly put it: “Children will be better protected and by offering different parenting strategies, the benefit will be happier, healthier, better behaved children. That benefit will be passed on to the next generation.”

Who of us would not want that?

Sarah Crawley (Director, Barnardo’s Cymru)