Professor Tommy MacKay is a consultant child psychologist and former President of the British Psychological Society. He has worked in the field of child protection for many years and believes the smacking ban Bill will not help protect children, but have many negative consequences.
Anne Atkins is a novelist, writer, parenting expert and author of Childrearing for Fun. She believes it is dangerous and deeply destructive to take decisions about discipline away from parents and give it to politicians. “The expert in the child is the parent, not the politician”, she says.
Dr Stuart Waiton is a sociology and criminology lecturer based in Dundee whose work examines the growing regulation of everyday life. He has described the prospect of a smacking ban as “patronising” and unwarranted interference in family life.
Professor Robert Larzelere has spent more than 33 years researching parental discipline and is one of the world’s leading experts on developmental psychology. The Endowed Professor of Parenting Research at Oklahoma State University says smacking bans do more harm than good and that research used to justify them are flawed.
Dr Ashley Frawley is a senior lecturer in social policy at Swansea University and mother-of-two. She has warned against “wedging the state and a host of self-styled ‘experts’ between parents and their children”, saying it would transform “family life into a series of techniques” and “make parents continually second-guess themselves”.
Ellie Lee is Professor of Family and Parenting Research at the University of Kent, the Director of the Centre for Parenting Culture Studies, and co-author of the book Parenting Culture Studies. The view she has developed through her research is that what gets called ‘evidence’ about how best to raise children is, sadly, very often prejudice masquerading as science. She hopes for a more grown-up discussion about adult authority and the needs of children.
Lowri Turner is spokesmum for the Be Reasonable campaign.
Dr Simon Knight, a community worker and dad, warns that criminalising parental smacking is an attack on normal family life.
Joy Knight is on the Board of Directors of Perth and Kinross Association of Voluntary Service/ Carers Hub remit. She was chairman of the Children’s Panel Advisory Group from 2008 – 2013, having been a panel member for 22 years. In addition she has been involved in teaching children with special needs and young offenders.
Parent activist Penny Lewis is an active campaigner against the state’s interference with family privacy and parental authority. She says the smacking ban is based on the idea that you can’t trust parents.
Simon Calvert is Deputy Director for Public Affairs at The Christian Institute. He says: “Whether you agree with smacking or not most people don’t think you should criminalise parents who do it.”
Darren Millar MS is Welsh Conservative member for Clwyd West. He has warned that proposals to ban smacking “will lead to ordinary, loving parents facing arrest, prosecution and even conviction for using light physical discipline”.
