The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) welcomes the decision made today to give children in Scotland full legal protection from physical assault.

The Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill, which today passed Stage 3 proceedings in Holyrood will ensure children in Scotland have the same lawful protection from violence that adults are currently afforded.

FPH in Scotland has worked alongside a coalition of organisations to ensure that this vital piece of legislation passes through Scottish Parliament. In September we wrote an open letter to political party leaders in Scotland urging them to support the Bill in its final stage.
We are grateful to John Finnie MSP for lodging the Bill and to all Members who voted in favour. We are also grateful to our FPH members who have led on this piece of work, including Tamasin Knight and Convener of FPH in Scotland, Julie Cavanagh.

The experience of other countries which have acted on the evidence and delivered laws protecting children from violence demonstrated that doing so leads to a better future for families, and we are pleased to have helped support and empower families to give their children the best start in life.