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Most safeguarding professionals support the end of physical punishment of children in England

We’re calling for an urgent amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to end the physical punishment of children in England.

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  • Our new polling1 reveals that most safeguarding professionals surveyed, including social workers (90%), healthcare professionals (77%), teachers (75%) and the police (51%), think the law in England should be changed to end the physical punishment of children.
  • Over half of social workers (68%) and teachers (52%) surveyed also said the law currently makes their work of safeguarding children more difficult.
  • We believe there’s never been a better time to end physical punishment than through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

Worried about a child?

You can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000 or emailing [email protected]

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What we found in our YouGov survey

Our YouGov survey found overwhelming support for removing the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ and the majority of professionals who work across healthcare, education, social care and the police say they would support changing the law.

The poll of over 700 safeguarding professionals in England also showed that the majority (including 95% of social workers) said they believe a parent using physical punishment on a child negatively affects a child’s mental health.

99% of social workers polled also said that a parent using physical punishment on a child has a negative impact on the parent and child relationship and 90% said it has a negative impact on a child’s behaviour.

Both social workers (68%) and teachers (52%) agreed that the law currently makes their work of safeguarding children more difficult.

Additionally, just over half of healthcare workers (56%) and teachers (51%) said they wouldn't be confident about knowing if a physical act towards a child is ‘reasonable’ or not under the law.

With almost three in five (59%) social workers saying that they’ve often come across the use of physical punishment on children in the past year, it’s clear this remains a significant safeguarding issue.

Sign our petition to end physical punishment

While over 60 countries around the world, including Wales and Scotland, have put vital measures in place to protect children from harm, the defence of ‘reasonable punishment’ in England means that children are the only section of society who aren't fully protected from physical assault.

There’s a wealth of evidence from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and University College London (UCL) showing that physical punishment has a detrimental impact on a child and doesn’t improve their behaviour.

As part of the campaign to end physical punishment, you can sign our petition to show your support for changing the law across the whole of the UK.

Sign the petition

Kirstin, a primary school teacher and petition supporter, said:

“I’ve worked in a primary school in Scotland for five years. It makes calling parents to account when there are changes in a child’s presentation so much easier if the question of physical abuse of any kind is illegal, categorical, black and white.

"You have nothing to lose, look at Scotland’s example.”

Professor Andrew Rowland, Officer for Child Protection at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said:

“The evidence is clear that physical punishment of children harms their health. The laws around physical punishment as they stand are unjust and dangerously vague. They create a grey area in which some forms of physical punishment may not be unlawful.

“As a paediatrician working in child protection services, I am regularly faced with situations where it is alleged that physical punishment has been used against a child. The vague nature of the laws makes it extremely challenging to talk to families about what the rules are around physical punishment of children, thus making it more difficult to talk about the best interests of their children. This lack of legislative clarity can even add an extra layer of complexity when trying to identify cases of genuine child abuse.

“Reducing the number of cases of child abuse must begin with a clear message from society that physical punishment of children, whatever the circumstances, is unacceptable. It is essential that the law is changed to explicitly prohibit all physical punishment of children.”

John McGowan, General Secretary of Social Workers Union (SWU), said:

“SWU welcomes an urgent amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to change the law to end the use of physical punishment against children in England. 

"This change would provide greater protection to children from violence in the home by repealing the legal defence of ‘reasonable punishment’. Physical punishment has no place in the 21st century. The international evidence tells us that it can have serious impacts on children, and that it is not effective.

“As a profession, working significantly with children and families, we fully support the aims of the NSPCC amendment to the Bill. We believe that all people, be they adults or children, should be protected from violence in any setting, including their home.”

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Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC, said:

“Children should not be experiencing physical punishment in any form. Yet, as long as the law tolerates some level of physical force against children, their wellbeing will always be a matter of judgement about what is 'reasonable'.

“Professionals are telling us that the current legal loophole makes it harder for them to assess the safety of a child. Likewise, public opinion around physical punishment is on our side, with 71% of the public thinking using physical punishment against children is not acceptable2.

“There has never been a better time for this antiquated defence to be removed than through a Bill that is all about children’s wellbeing. Scotland and Wales have led the way to change, England must follow.

"With the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill now making its way through Westminster, the Government must use this opportunity to finally put an end the use of physical punishment of children in England.”

NSPCC Press Office

Contact our national and regional press offices for enquiries about our work or to request interviews.

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References

  1. 1. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from our polling with YouGov plc. The total sample size was 729 adults across the UK, who were polled between 19 February and 3 March 2025. The survey was carried out online. Any figures that refer to respondents from a specific profession have been weighted to be representative of the group of professionals in question.

  2. 2. In May 2024, YouGov survey results of over 3,500 adults across England showed a rise in people who think smacking, hitting, slapping or shaking a child isn't acceptable – from 67% in 2023 to 71% in 2024.