Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020: April 2025 to March 2026

The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act (the Act) received Royal Assent in March 2020 and, after a two-year implementation period, came into force on 21 March 2022.

Section 3 of the Act requires Welsh Ministers to prepare, and lay before the Senedd, 2 reports on the effect of the Act. These must be produced as soon as practicable 3 and 5 years after the Act came into force (2025 and 2027). The three-year post-implementation review of the Act was published on 16 December 2025 (Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020: synthesis report).

To support these reports the Welsh Government collects data from local authorities, the police, and the Crown Prosecution Service to measure the impact that the Act has on public services. This report summarises data collected for the fourth year following the Act coming into force, covering the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

The data should be interpreted with caution given that it relates to one year only. All numbers relating to out of court parenting support are rounded to the nearest 5 to minimise any risk of data disclosure. Due to the numbers being rounded to the nearest 5, the sum of any percentages may come to more than 100%.

In the period April 2025 to March 2026:

• 130 individuals were newly referred for out of court parenting support in this reporting year
• 120 new individuals took up the offer of parenting support and 15 individuals continued to access the support from the previous reporting year
• of the 135 individuals accessing support, 105 individuals completed the sessions fully.
• 25 individuals have partially completed the sessions and will continue to access the support in the following reporting year; 10 individuals disengaged from the support in this reporting year
• 90 of the individuals who completed the sessions self-reported a positive outcome in a post support questionnaire; figures on the total number of questionnaires completed are not available

During the fourth year following the Act coming into force, 130 new referrals for out of court parenting support were made across Wales by the police.

Between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026, 120 new individuals chose to take up the offer of parenting support. 15 individuals had partially completed the sessions in the previous year and continued to access the support between April 2025 and March 2026. Of these 135 individuals, 105 have fully completed the sessions and 25 have partially completed the sessions and will continue to access the support in the following reporting year. 10 individuals disengaged from the support.

Of the individuals who were accessing the parenting support between April 2025 and March 2026, 89% of the individuals identified as “White” and 5% identified as “Black, Black Welsh, Black British”. Fewer than 5 individuals identified in each of the groups “Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups”, “Asian, Asian Welsh or Asian British” or “Other ethnic group”. 55% of the individuals were female and 45% were male. The percentage of disabled individuals was 5%.

Fewer than 5 individuals received sessions through the medium of Welsh after stating this was their preference.
Individuals completing the parenting support are asked to complete a post support questionnaire issued by local authorities. Figures on the total number of completed questionnaires are not available. The latest data shows that 90 of the individuals who completed the questionnaire self-reported a positive outcome. This is defined as an improvement in the child’s behaviour, or in parental wellbeing or efficacy.

Data on social services referrals for the period April 2025 to March 2026 will be added at a later date. This will include:

• the number of contacts made to social services related to physical punishment of children
• the number of assessments completed by social services related to physical punishment of children

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in Wales tracks cases related to the Act. This includes:

• the number of cases referred to them
• the number of charges brought
• the outcomes of these cases

Figures on referrals to the CPS in Wales cannot be published. This is because the number of reported cases is fewer than 5, which could risk disclosing personal information.

The overarching objective of the legislation is to help protect children’s rights by prohibiting the use of physical punishment against children, through the removal of the defence of reasonable punishment. This means that the defence is no longer available within the territory of Wales to parents or those acting in loco parentis (acting with parental responsibility), as a defence to a charge of common assault and battery on a child in their care.

The Out of Court Parenting Support Grant has been offered by the Welsh Government to local authorities since March 2022. The grant was created in preparation for the Act coming into force. It funds bespoke parenting support, which the police can refer people to as an alternative to prosecution in cases where the police decide it is appropriate to offer an out of court disposal.

Local authorities record data about the number of referrals for parenting support received from the police, as well as take-up, completion rates, and outcomes for these individuals. Demographic data, requests for the intervention through the medium of Welsh, and non-police referrals are also collected. Some individuals have disengaged from the support before completion of the sessions, with no intention of completing in the future. This means that the number of individuals who have completed and partially completed the sessions may be less than the total number of individuals who chose to take up the offer of parenting support.

Statement of compliance with the Code of Practice for Statistics

Our statistical practice is regulated by the OSR. OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

All of our statistics are produced and published in accordance with a number of statements and protocols to enhance trustworthiness, quality and value. These are set out in the Welsh Government’s Statement of Compliance.

These official statistics (OSR) demonstrate the standards expected around trustworthiness, quality and public value in the following ways. This applies to all the statistics in this release apart from those relating to social service referrals which are official statistics in development (OSR). More information on social services statistics and their classification can be found in the social services activity statistical release, and quality report.

Trustworthiness

The release has been produced by statisticians who work under the supervision of the Welsh Government Chief Statistician to ensure that the statistics, data and explanatory material is presented impartially and objectively.

These statistics are compiled from a range of sources. The main source of data used in this statistical release is management information collected via the Welsh Government Out of Court Parenting Support Grant Data Monitoring Return directly from local authorities. This data collection started from 21 March 2022 and is collected from local authorities every six months. Social service contacts and assessments data is collected by the Welsh Government via management information from social services, and CPS referrals data is sourced from the CPS.

Quality

The published figures provided are compiled by professional analysts using the latest available data and applying methods using their professional judgement and analytical skillset. Statistics published by Welsh Government adhere to the Statistical Quality Management Strategy which supplements the Quality pillar of the Code of Practice for Statistics and the European Statistical System principles of quality for statistical outputs.

Data for the Welsh Government Out of Court Parenting Support Grant data monitoring return is collected by Welsh Government directly from local authorities. Local authorities complete data collection forms based on data stored on their respective IT systems and return the completed forms to Welsh Government via email. Guidance and definitions are given to local authorities for the data they are required to supply. The data is dependent on local authorities maintaining accurate records, but systems are well-established and reliable.

Validation checks are performed by Welsh Government statisticians and queries referred to local authorities where necessary. While the Out of Court Parenting Support Grant monitoring return has been validated internally, CPS data and social services referrals data are requested from CPS and the social services statistics team respectively. The statistical release is then drafted, signed off by senior statisticians and is published in line with statement on confidentiality and data access which is informed by the trustworthiness pillar contained in the Code of Practice for Statistics.

Value

The purpose of the statistical release is to provide evidence for policy implementation, to allow local authorities to monitor their referrals against all other local authorities in Wales, and to inform the wider public about referrals relating to The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020.

The timeliness of the data provides the most recent update using reliable data. Making this information available in this form provides a single definitive source of data on the referrals, and uptake of parenting support, in relation to The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)

The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of Wales. The Act puts in place seven wellbeing goals for Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales, with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section (10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the wellbeing goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before Senedd Cymru. Under section 10(8) of the Well-being of Future Generations Act, where the Welsh Ministers revise the national indicators, they must as soon as reasonably practicable (a) publish the indicators as revised and (b) lay a copy of them before the Senedd. These national indicators were laid before the Senedd in 2021. The indicators laid on 14 December 2021 replace the set laid on 16 March 2016.

Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the wellbeing goals and associated technical information is available in the Wellbeing of Wales report.

Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local wellbeing assessments and local wellbeing plans.

Children and Families research
Email: research.childrenandfamilies@gov.wales 

Media: 0300 025 8099

SFR: 83/2026