Cefnogi teuluoedd Cymru Supporting Wales Families Karen Cornish, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Cefnogi teuluoedd Cymru Supporting Wales’ Families

Karen Cornish, Dirprwy Gyfarwyddwr / Deputy Director, yr Is-adran Plant a Theuluoedd / Children & Families Division Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Welsh Government Support for Parents

• A long tradition of supporting parents through a range of

programmes and campaigns including

• ‘Parenting. Give it Time’
• Healthy Child Wales
• Flying Start
• Families First
• Education Begins at Home
• The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable

Punishment)(Wales) Bill - part of wider package of measures

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Scope of the Bill

• Availability of the defence - restricted under section 58 of the

Children Act 2004

• Applies in respect of both the criminal and civil law.
• If enacted the defence will no longer be available within Wales to

parents or those acting in loco parentis, as a defence to a charge of common assault and battery.

• Does not create a new criminal offence.
• Remove a loophole which exists for unregulated settings not

covered by the earlier changes to the law for regulated settings – e.g. schools, childcare settings.

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Bill Process

• Bill Introduced – 25 March 2019
• Stage 1 scrutiny undertaken by the Children, Young people and Education

(CYPE) Committee, Finance Committee and Constitutional and Legislative Affairs (CLA) Committee

• Stage 1 general principles debate in the Senedd – 17 September 2019
• Stage 2 – Amendment stage by CYPE Committee – 24 October 2019
• Stage 3 – 2nd amendment stage in the Senedd – 21 January 2020
• Stage 4 – final vote – 28 January 2020
• Royal Assent – TBC, anticipated March 2020

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Implementation

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Awareness Raising

• Bill places a duty on Welsh Ministers to provide information and

increase awareness about the change in the law.

• Significant awareness raising between Royal Assent and

commencement, to achieve the highest possible awareness levels before the law comes into force.

• Sustained campaign for around four years after commencement, to

maintain a high level of awareness and consolidate messages about positive alternatives to physical punishment.

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Ongoing support for parents

• Ongoing support provided through
• Parenting. Give it Time
• Healthy Child Wales
• Flying Start
• Families First
• Speech, Language and Communication
• Parenting Expert Action Group
• Inter-parental relationships

Thank you

Diolch

#BilPlantCymru #ChildrenWalesBill

Any questions?