Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 1 - Senedd

Contact: Llinos Madeley 

Media

Senedd.TV: View the webcast

Transcript: Transcript for 02/05/2019 - Children, Young People and Education Committee - Fifth Senedd

Items
Expected timing No. Item

(09.20)

1.

Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

Minutes:

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members. Apologies were received from Jack Sargeant AM, Jayne Bryant AM substituted.

 

(09.20 - 10.30)

2.

Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill - Evidence session 1

 

Welsh Government

Julie Morgan AM, Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services

Karen Cornish, Deputy Director – Children & Families Division

Emma Gammon, Lawyer

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

(10.40 - 11.40)

3.

Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill - Evidence session 2

Be Reasonable Wales

Jamie Gillies, spokesman for Be Reasonable

Sally Gobbett, Parent campaigner

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

3.1 The Committee heard evidence from Be Reasonable Wales.

3.2 They agreed to provide a note on the following:

·         details of the evidence cited about the impact of physical and non-physical punishment of children;

·         further detail on the assertion that the defence of reasonable punishment had been invoked three times in nine years in England, including whether wider charges were being brought at the time in those individual cases and;

·         further information on prosecution rates in relation to physical punishment in New Zealand.

 

(11.40 - 12.40)

4.

Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill - Evidence session 3

Equal Protection Network Cymru (Successor organisation to the Children are Unbeatable Cymru alliance)

Andy James, Interim Chair- Equal Protection Network Cymru

Catriona Williams OBE, Chief Executive Officer – Children in Wales

Vivienne Laing, Policy and Public Affairs Manager – NSPCC Wales

Menna Thomas, Assistant Director (Policy) – Barnardo’s Cymru

Dr Katherine Shelton, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Cardiff University and member of Academics for Equal Protection

 

 

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

4.1 The Committee heard evidence from the Equal Protection Network Cymru.

4.2 They agreed to provide a note on the following:

  • details of the evidence cited about the impact of physical and non-physical punishment of children;
  • details of relevant cases in the Republic of Ireland and;
  • details of the evidence cited as rebutting claims that Swedish data had shown a correlation between changes to the law on reasonable punishment and an increase in child-on-child violence.

 

 

(13.10 - 13.55)

5.

Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill - Evidence session 4

Office of the Children’s Commissioner for Wales

Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales

Rachel Thomas, Head of Policy and Public Affairs

Supporting documents:

Minutes:

5.1 The Committee heard evidence from the Children’s Commissioner.

(13.55)

6.

Papers to note

Minutes:

6.1 The papers were noted.

6.1

Letter from the Minister for Education - Update on 2018 Key Stage 4 attainment data

Supporting documents:

6.2

Letter from the Minister for Education - Draft Additional Learning Needs Code

Supporting documents:

6.3

Letter to the Minister for Health and Social Services - Inpatient CAMHS provision

Supporting documents:

6.4

Letter to the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services - Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

Supporting documents:

6.5

Letter from the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services - Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill

Supporting documents:

6.6

Letter from the Minister for Education - Additional Learning Needs (ALN) transformation programme update

Supporting documents:

6.7

Letter from the Chair of the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee - Research and Innovation in Wales

Supporting documents:

6.8

Letter from the First Minister of Wales - Improving outcomes for children in care

Supporting documents:

6.9

Letter from the Chair of Petitions Committee - Petition P-05-872 Protect school funding or admit to the weakening of service provision

Supporting documents:

6.10

Letter from the British Heart Foundation - Concerns about the new curriculum

Supporting documents:

7.

Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the meeting for the remainder of the meeting

Minutes:

7.1 The Motion was agreed.

(13.55 - 14.00)

8.

Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill - Consideration of the evidence

Minutes:

8.1 The Committee considered the evidence heard during the sessions.

(14.00 - 15.00)

9.

Inquiry into School Funding - Consideration of the key issues

Minutes:

9.1 Due to time constraints the paper would be put on the agenda for next week’s meeting.