Nursery World - Scotland law on smacking on way

The campaign to protect children from physical punishment will take a step forward with the publication of the Scottish Executive's criminal justice bill in the new year. A White Paper published last week, Making Scotland Safer - Improving the Criminal Justice System, sets out the Executive's proposals in advance of the bill. The new law will outlaw blows to the head, shaking and the use of implements on children. Any physical punishment of children up to and including the age of two will also be forbidden.

A White Paper published last week, Making Scotland Safer - Improving the Criminal Justice System, sets out the Executive's proposals in advance of the bill. The new law will outlaw blows to the head, shaking and the use of implements on children. Any physical punishment of children up to and including the age of two will also be forbidden.

Statutory factors will be set out to help the courts decide whether an incident of physical punishment is reasonable, with guidance on the nature and context of the punishment, its duration and frequency, its physical and mental effects and the sex, age and state of health of the child. The bill will also ban smacking in all regulated childcare, including by childminders.

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