Prepared for Centre for Social Research and Evaluation, Ministry of Social Development.

This report presents research, commissioned by the Ministry of Social Development, undertaken to provide an assessment of parents and caregivers who use physical discipline on children. The purpose of the report is to inform the Government's parenting strategy, Strategies with Kids - Information for Parents (SKIP). The research methodology included a review of national and international literature, and interviews with key informants. To gather information about parenting experiences, a national survey of parents and caregivers was conducted, and face-to-face interviews with 32 parents who currently use physical discipline on children 5 years old and younger were completed. The report examines the key influences in parenting and caregiving approaches, which includes a range of personal experience-related factors, significant others, external influences, and parenting classes and seminars. Maori and Pasifika parenting practices are discussed, highlighting the impact of cultural issues on parenting and discipline strategies. The report also discusses situational factors that contribute to the use of physical discipline, differences in the uses of physical discipline, and the reasons that contribute to a parent or caregiver choosing, or not choosing, to use physical discipline. A further investigation of the profiles of those who use physical discipline is presented. The report concludes by discussing the potential uptake of SKIP by parents and caregivers, and it explores how the strategy will be implemented.

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