Miller Research was commissioned by the Welsh Government to explore how the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 has affected frontline services working with children and families across Wales. The Act removed the long‑standing common‑law defence of “reasonable punishment”, giving children in Wales the same legal protection from assault as adults and aligning the law with Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The research set out to capture professionals’ awareness of the Act, their knowledge of guidance and training, how the Act has shaped referral pathways and day‑to‑day practice, and whether it has strengthened professionals’ ability to protect children’s rights. The study combined in‑depth qualitative fieldwork and a complementary online survey: 41 semi‑structured interviews were carried out with professionals across social services, health, education, criminal justice and the third sector, and a bilingual survey gathered 135 responses to broaden the evidence base. Findings show that professional awareness of the Act is high and many practitioners welcomed the clarity it provides, while awareness of sector‑specific guidance was more mixed and some professionals called for refreshed, more accessible training. The research also highlights the development of the Out‑of‑Court Parenting Support Scheme as a key mechanism to offer parenting support as an alternative to prosecution and to keep responses support‑led.

Based on the evidence gathered, the final report sets out practical recommendations to sustain and improve implementation, such as re‑publishing and tailoring guidance for different professional groups, delivering interactive refresher training, strengthening multi‑agency referral pathways, and standardising data collection to monitor referrals and outcomes over time.