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NSPCC chief executive Mary Marsh will back the government if it gives children the same protection as adults.

A law against hitting children would help us all - parents, childminders, social workers and the public - to challenge child abuse when we see it. Legal reform to give children the same protection from assault as adults is not an attack on the majority of parents who may resort to a so-called "loving smack" in a moment of anger or frustration. Nor would they be prosecuted for doing so.

It's an attack on the hard core minority of abusers - like Lauren Wright's stepmother Tracey - who punch and kick in public and private, sometimes with tragic consequences.

The NSPCC's child maltreatment survey showed 7 per cent of young adults had been seriously physically abused as a child - not a one-off tap, but regular beatings which left them bruised, injured and emotionally scarred.

Could a law banning hitting children have saved Lauren Wright? Possibly, if local people had felt empowered to speak out about someone who punches a child in the street. The real lesson from Lauren's death is that many people and professionals failed to act despite the bruises and black eyes.

We need a culture of reporting our concerns about children at risk of abuse, rather than one of turning away. As Lauren's case proves, we shouldn't wait until it's too late.

A law to protect children from being hit is not the only solution but it would help enormously. It would help all professionals to intervene earlier, and boost public confidence. Legal reform must be coupled with public education as parents need effective alternatives to smacking.

The government will soon announce the findings of its consultation on physical punishment. It is an opportunity to show leadership in defending children. The NSPCC, many leading public figures and more than 260 organisations in the Children are Unbeatable Alliance will stand by it, as will a number of European countries which already provide legal protection for children from assault.

The government must avoid proposing what it thinks Middle England wants, or deliver proposals less ambitious than those in Scotland. It must show its mettle on ending physical punishment and promoting more effective alternatives. Hitting children is a child protection issue. Outlawing it is both pro-children and pro-parent - passionately so.