Social workers and other safeguarding professionals have called for an end to the physical punishment of children in England.

According to a recent poll, a vast proportion of more than 700 safeguarding professionals believe the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill should be urgently amended to protect minors from assault.

The results of the NSPCC survey revealed 90% of social workers, 77% of healthcare staff, 75% of teachers and 51% of police strongly agree that the Bill’s ‘reasonable punishment’ clause should be removed to help end child abuse.

Furthermore, the majority of social workers and teachers who answered the survey reached a consensus that the current legal ambiguity about violence towards children undermines their safeguarding abilities.

Professor Andrew Rowland, Officer for Child Protection at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, commented: ‘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.’

Chris Sherwood, CEO at the NSPCC added: ‘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 acceptable.’

‘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.’