Education Secretary ‘open minded’ on ban in England

The Education Secretary has said she is “open-minded” to banning spanking children in England, but has no imminent plans to change the law.

comes after this Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza makes fresh demand for ban in EnglandWho suggested adopting similar measures already in place in Scotland and Wales.

Asked whether she supported that proposal, Bridget Phillipson told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that the government was “considering it” but that legislation would not be brought forward “any time soon”.

The children’s charity NSPCC called for new legislation “as soon as possible” because there was “growing evidence” that physically disciplining children could be “harmful”.

Speaking on Sunday morning, Phillipson said she wanted to hear from Dame Rachel and other experts “how [a ban] Will Work”.

He said he believed “we need to look at how we keep children safe”.

Phillipson said the upcoming child welfare bill, which is expected to be introduced “by the end of the year”, will address a number of issues related to the care and protection of children.

Anna Edmondson, head of policy at the NSPCC, told the BBC that calls to the charity’s helpline from adults concerned about the use of corporal punishment on children have tripled.

In a statement they said: “We therefore want the Government to introduce legislation as soon as possible to give children in England the same protections from assault that are given to adults that are already in place for children in Scotland and Wales.”

Other charities, including Barnardo’s, have also long called for a ban on English spanking and two-thirds of English people surveyed by YouGov in March last year said it was not acceptable to physically discipline a child.

In England and Northern Ireland it is legal for a carer or parent to physically discipline their child if it is an “appropriate” punishment – ​​but the Children Act 2004 made it illegal to cause actual or serious bodily harm by assaulting a child. Has given.

The previous Conservative government argued that parents should be trusted to discipline their children and that “clear laws were in place” to prevent violence.

The Department for Education told the BBC earlier this week that it is now “looking closely” at changes to the law made in Scotland and Wales, which will come into effect in 2020 and 2022 respectively, to see whether the changes in England More can be done.

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“If we are serious about keeping every child safe, now is the time for England to take this necessary action,” he said.

“Too many children have been harmed or killed at the hands of the people who should love and care for them most.”