From tomorrow, 7th November 2020 The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019 will change the law in Scotland. Our Family Support Coordinator Jacqui Elliott has written a bit more on this and what it means.

The term “reasonable chastisement” will be removed as a defence. Physical punishment or physical discipline can take many forms, including smacking, skelping, spanking and slapping. This means that all forms of physical punishment of children will be against the law in Scotland, and children will have with the same legal protection from assault as adults.
If a parent or carer physically punishes or disciplines their child they can be prosecuted with assault. Under the current law, depending on what happened, the defence of ‘reasonable chastisement’ may be available to them.

It has been proven that physical punishment is not in the best interest of children, it is harmful and not effective. This change has been made as the current law was confusing and unclear. Scotland is the first part of the UK to pass a law like this.

If you see someone physically punishing their child, you can call the police on 101 if you think a crime has been committed
We want Scotland to be the best place in the world for children to grow up.

Click HERE the link to view the bill