Physical chastisement
All parents can come under pressure or stress from time to time, and it can even lead them to lose their temper.
Physical punishment is however never an effective way to discipline your children.
“Corporal” or “physical” punishment is any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Most involves hitting (“smacking”, “slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the hand or with an implement - a whip, stick, belt, shoe, wooden spoon, etc. But it can also involve, for example, kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or boxing ears, forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions, burning, scalding or forced ingestion (Committee on the Rights of the Child, 2006).
Allowing another adult to physically chastise your child can also amount to an offence.
Physical chastisement can negatively impact your child:
Please find Physical Chastisement documents from Harrow Council. These provide further information about the harms and strategies on managing challenging behaviour at home. Further information can be found in our Behaviour Policy and the Safeguarding Behaviour webpage
Early Help/ Support Hubs
Early Support Hubs
Early Support Hubs are community-based sites that incorporate the 9 Children’s Centre sites and 3 Youth Centres.
These Hubs are the point of contact for Early Support. They run a number of sessions for parents and carers on important issues in future, and provide information, advice and guidance. These can be found on the website: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/childrens-social-care/childrens-hubs
Provision is delivered by the council’s skilled staff and partner agencies.
Viral Patel is our School Early Support Practitioner.
