Hitting your child with a belt .... the law

[Poppychick]

Is it illegal to hit a 6 year old with a belt? Also is classed as neglect / child abuse to another child if they witness it without it actually having happened to them?

Anyone in the know - social services etc. please reply.

[Hulababy]

It is physical abuse to hit anyone with a belt, surely, regardless of age or relationship to person.

Would possibly be emotional abuse to a witness, especially if a child.

Certainly peple can be put on the risk to children register for committing violence int he presence of children, even if they are not actually the ones being hurt.

[AbbeyA]

Hitting with a belt is abuse.

[gothicmama]

if designated person not takingit seriously speak to children and young persons department (SSD) duty team for advice,
you have then done everything you can do child protection is everyone's responsibility under working together guidance and should not necseearily be dismissed by designated person at school seek advice elsewhere

[Poppychick]

Agree but they are the boss.

I was scared of my Dad and if school had told him I was in trouble I'd have been very scared BUT not of violence of a bollocking and withdrawal of privileges etc. etc.

[VictorianSqualor]

It certainly isn't, my stepdads belt was used for this many a time.
I'd be quite worried about the school procedure not being followed personally (not by you, by the other person) and mention it to whomever allocated them as the designated person.

[Poppychick]

Yes but worried not being taken seriously.
Designated person

"This is just something that Dads say"

[VictorianSqualor]

Is there not a standard procedure in place at the school for this kind of incident?

[Poppychick]

Would it? I teach there so know that information no problem.

Will speak to my boss tomorrow and see what he has already done first but don't feel he's taking it very seriously.

Thanks

[VictorianSqualor]

Do you know which school they go to?
A childs name and the school would be enough.

[Poppychick]

I could find out their address and ring up SS anonymously (sp) couldn't I? As anyone could. This parent isn't at the child's home though it's like a weekend Dad situation so I wouldn't know his address.

[Poppychick]

A child at work told me it happened to their step brother and they saw it.

Have filled in an appropriate form but worried my boss (designated CP person) isn't taking it seriously.

Thanks

[nannyL]

Im sure (in 2008) it is illegal to hit anyone with a belt

Its is child abuse and social srvices need to know

[colditz]

oh no no no lovely sophable, it was accidental - well, my brother and I were whirling belts around and he caught me on the back. It hurts like a bitch let me tell you, and that was with a 7 year old's arm, I cannot imagine the pain if a grown man was doing it.

[Heathcliffscathy]

colditz

[colditz]

Having received both an openhanded smack and the full force of a belt, I can confidently state that a slap is NOWHERE FUCKING NEAR as bad.

[colditz]

It is illegal to hit anyone with a belt.

The only physicality you are allowed to use on a child is an open handed slap that does not leave a mark or connect to the head. I am not getting into the morality of smacking on this thread though.

It is abuse of the child who received it, and the child who witnessed it HOWEVER I don't know how long that has been that law.

[memoo]

i believe that it is illegal, I think that you can be prosecuted for using anything other than your hand to smack a child. though imo thats just as bad

[mieowcat]

illegal? borderline cruel maybe?

[Heathcliffscathy]

piss poor that it isn't totally illegal really isn't it?

[Miggsie]

Well, if you removed your belt and hit an adult with it, it would be classed as assault, so I don't see why it can be ok to hit a small child in the same way.

[LadyMuck]

Oh, and i'm assuming that you're in England - law is different in Scotland I think.

[LadyMuck]

It depends on the physical and/or mental damage to the child. The way that the law works is that any assault on a child is potentially a criminal offence. However there is a defence for parents of "reasonable chastisement". This defence can only be used in cases of common assault (not abh or gbh). And with the introduction of s58 of the Children's Act 2004 this defence can only be used where a smack or equivalent left no mark other than temporary redness.

Assuming that the belt did leave a mark, then strictly an offence has occured. However usually social services would take steps to address the behaviour rather than immediately pressing for prosecution as it would also be traumatic for a family to have a parent imprisoned.

In terms of the implications for a child watching, then it would depend on the circumstances. If the child had a fear that siilar treatment was likely to be meted out to themselves, then it could be treated as child abuse. But again usually SS would intervene to educate the parent rather than to punish.

[OverMyDeadBody]

Why do you want to know Poppy?