Government Law
UK Community Council Bans Smoking By Foster Parents
Posted Nov 5, 2008, 11:28 am CST
By Martha Neil
Citing the health risks posed by secondhand smoke, a community council in London has banned the placement of foster children with foster parents who smoke, unless exceptional circumstances apply.
The action yesterday by Redbridge Council will take effect in 2010, which gives current foster parents who smoke a chance to quit beforehand, reports Reuters. Although other community councils throughout Great Britain have placed restrictions on foster parent smoking, the Redbridge Council ban is believed to be the most sweeping response to the issue.
"We know this is a difficult issue because some people will feel it is an intrusion on personal freedoms," Councilor Michael Stark tells the news agency. "But we also know that smoking increases the risk of serious illness in childhood. On balance, we have decided children in our care shouldn't grow up breathing second-hand smoke."
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