The Welsh Assembly Government has been committed to legal reform since October 2003 and is the first UK country to take a principled stand on the issue.

14 February 2007  - an event was held at the Welsh Senedd in Cardiff attended by Jane Hutt AM, the Minister for Children. Peter Newell, Chair of Children are Unbeatable Alliance & End Physical Punishment of Children, spoke on the UN Study on Violence Against Children.  Sam Clutton, Barnardo’s Cymru spoke about  the report on the Help at Hand project.

November 2006 – Help at Hand: Promoting Alternatives to Smacking.
Minister for Children Jane Hutt recently launched the final report on "Help at Hand".  The report provides an evaluation of a programme of activities promoting alternatives to smacking children

Children are Unbeatable! Cymru commissioned a programme of events in Briton Ferry West to evaluate what might change attitudes towards the physical punishment of children, and how to provide advice and support to parents and carers to provide positive, non-violent discipline.

Jane Hutt, said: "I am impressed by the way in which the Help at Hand Week has engaged the whole community here in Briton Ferry – parents, children and professionals. I hope that you will be able to keep that momentum going.  I was particularly interested to hear that parents put a great deal of importance in getting information, support and advice from local sources, such as their health visitors. 

CAU’s "Briefing Paper – Help at Hand"  can be downloaded here, or a hard copy can be obtained from Children in Wales. 

• Link here to the full report (pdf 409k) 
• Link here to the briefing paper (pdf 118k)

15 May 2006 - Promoting alternatives to smacking children
Minister for Children, Jane Hutt launched a week-long campaign to promote alternatives to smacking children. The event, organised by `Sdim Curo Plant!/ Children are Unbeatable!, aimed to bring parents together to share their experiences and learn new ways of encouraging good behaviour.

January 2006 - UNCRC Monitoring Group Wales Report 2006 - Corporal Punishment From 'Righting the Wrongs: the reality of children's rights in Wales' (Save the Children, 2006)

May 2004 - Assembly Plenary Debate on the Children Bill.

February 2004 - National Assembly publish 'Rights to Action'.

January 2004 - fact finding visit to Sweden with Welsh MPs and AMs.

January 14 2004 -Debate on Children's Green Paper, Amendment 5"The National Assembly regrets that the UK government continues to retain the defence of reasonable chastisement and has taken no significant action towards prohibiting the physical punishment of children in the family"

(In favour 41, Abstain 3, Against 9)

October 2002 - Welsh Assembly Government Cabinet Statement against the physical punishment of children in favour of legal reform and support for parents. WAG then make representations to Westminster, via letters to Ministers, response to Every Child Matters consultation and representations during the passage of the Children Bill in 2004.

February 2002 - Welsh Childminding Regulations which stated that childminders should not hit children in their care.

January 2002 - A short debate in the National Assembly "Hitting people is wrong and children are people too", chosen by Christine Chapman AM.

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