Physical punishment and discipline of children: the law

All forms of physical punishment of children are against the law in Scotland, and children have the same legal protection from assault as adults.  

Physical punishment or physical discipline can take many forms, including: 

• smacking 
• skelping 
• hitting 
• slapping 

If you stop your child from coming to harm, you’re protecting them. For example, if you pull your child out of a busy road, you’re protecting them. But if you smack your child afterwards, you’re physically punishing them. 

Support for parents and carers 

Our ParentClub website contains tried and tested hints and tips like the ones on coping with being a parent and behaviour. 

The ParentClub website also contains the Family Support Directory. This directory brings together information about organisations, benefits and other sources of support for parents and carers, no matter the situation or the stage a child is at. 

If talking to someone might help, you can call Children First Support Line on 08000 28 22 33. Or you can chat to someone online at Support Line.  

These are free services that provide support for families in Scotland. 

If you see someone physically punishing their child 

You can call the police on 101 if you think a crime has been committed. 

You can also contact your local council if you are concerned about harm to a child from physical punishment. 

Another option is for you to contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to report a crime anonymously. They'll pass the information about the crime to the police. Or, as has always been the case, you can call 999 if a child or young person is in immediate danger.