Nursery World - New smacking rules omit nannies

Smacking is to be banned for all tutors and carers who work with children outside the family, including part-time educational settings, Sunday schools and madrassas, following a review.

However, the restriction does not include nannies, au pairs or babysitters, as they are considered part of the family or household.

The Government has accepted the recommendations made by Sir Roger Singleton, the chief adviser on children's safety, who said that the existing ban on physical punishment in schools should be extended to include any form of care or supervision carried out other than that by a parent or member of the child's own family or household.

Sir Roger said that he had concluded that to define what constituted the family or household would be 'cumbersome, bureaucratic' and 'largely impractical'. However, he recommended that parents who disapprove of smacking should make this clear to others who care for their children.

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