Local council produced notes on child related cultural differences. What do you need to know about having child in the Uk?
Despite a reduction in recent years as a result of campaign efforts by various organisations, the use of corporal or physical and humiliating punishment as a means to discipline children remains more widespread in Ukraine than in the UK. In Wales and Scotland, corporal punishment of children is now illegal, and in England and NI, it is less and less socially acceptable with parents looking to use more positive ways of disciplining their children and building healthier relationships with them. Whilst all parents will adopt different parenting styles, it is important to let your guests know that physical or humiliating punishment should not be used towards any child.
The NSPCC offers positive parenting tips and advice, and Barnardo’s Parenting Support Programmes provides information on positive parenting approaches for arriving families. The Parenting for Lifelong Health team at the University of Oxford has also set up this website to provide tips on evidence-based parenting to support families impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Also, see the section on safeguarding below for more detail.
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- NSPCC – Positive Parenting Guide (nspcc.org.uk)
- Barnardo’s Parenting Support (https://barnardos-parenting.org.uk)
- Red Cross Video
In the UK a parent is legally responsible for the protection, care, development and well-being of their child. It is the parent’s job to keep them safe from harm and danger. It is an offence to leave children on their own if it puts them at risk.
Babies, toddlers and young children should never be left alone. Generally, children under 16 should not be asked to look after younger children perhaps their brothers or sisters. Children who are 16 or older should not look after children for long periods or overnight.
Attitudes to physically disciplining children are changing quickly in the UK. In England it is illegal to smack or hit a child if you cause an injury or leave a mark on them. There is a useful leaflet from the NSPCC about positive parenting which gives techniques to change children’s behaviour, rather than smacking.
For Ukraine families – it is expected that you will not leave children on their own under 12 and between 12 and 16 only for short periods and certainly not for a full day. You must not leave the sponsor property without having agreed that someone will look after your children whilst you are out. If you go out and leave your children unsupervised then the sponsor will become the responsible adult if you go out, and the sponsor will be unable to leave the children unsupervised due to the rules and culture in the UK.
Bedtimes (From The Sleep Charity website)
Quality sleep is essential for children’s growth and development. A decent night’s sleep will help them to do better at school, allow them to react more quickly to situations, have a more developed memory, learn more effectively and solve problems, plus it will make them less susceptible to colds and other minor ailments, less irritable and better behaved!
Sleep deprivation causes increased hyperactivity and other behavioural problems, as well as damaging physical and mental development. Poor sleep habits from an early age can lead to long term sleep problems.
Recommended sleep time from Great Ormond Street Hospital
| Your child’s age | Recommended sleep time in 24 hours |
| Infants 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16 hours including naps |
| Children 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 hours including naps |
| Children 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 hours including naps |
| Children 6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 hours |
| Teenagers 13 to 18 years | 8 to 10 hours |
Seat belts (From gov.uk website)
You must wear a seat belt if one is fitted in the seat you’re using – there are only a few exceptions.
You’re also only allowed 1 person in each seat fitted with a seat belt.
You can be fined up to £500 if you don’t wear a seat belt when you’re supposed to.
You must make sure that any children in the vehicle you’re driving are:
- in the correct car seatfor their height or weight until they reach 135 centimetres tall or their 12th birthday, whichever is first
- wearing a seat belt if they’re 12 or 13 years old, or younger and over 135cm tall
You can be fined up to £500 if a child under 14 isn’t in the correct car seat or wearing a seat belt while you’re driving.
It is a requirement for children up to 14 to use an appropriate car seat and details of the UK laws on child car seats can be found at:
Child car seats: the law: Using a child car seat or booster seat – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)