The Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020: April 2023 to March 2024

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, two reports on the effect of the Act. These must be produced as soon as practicable three and five years after the Act came into force (2025 and 2027).

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 second 12 months following the Act coming into force, covering the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Main findings

• 125 individuals were newly referred for out of court parenting support in this reporting year.
• 115 new individuals took up the offer of parenting support and 20 individuals continued to access the support from the previous reporting year.
• Of these 135 individuals, 110 individuals completed the sessions fully. 20 individuals have partially completed the sessions and will continue to access the support in the following 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.