‘Geen adoptiekinderen voor rokers’
Adoptiekinderen van vijf jaar of jonger mogen niet meer in een gezin worden geplaatst als daar gerookt wordt. Bij bestaande gevallen zouden de kinderen bij de pleegouders weg moeten worden gehaald.
Dat is de opvatting van het gemeentebestuur van Dundee in Schotland. Maar gelukkig zijn er nog organisaties voor wie het geluk en welzijn van deze kinderen wél belangrijk is:
Pam Hibbert, principal policy officer for Barnardo’s Scotland, said the psychological effects of taking a child from an otherwise stable and happy home could be more damaging than the effects of second-hand cigarette smoke.
Dundee council said that its new regulations would affect fewer than 50 children.
Officials said they were being introduced after scientific evidence that passive smoking harms children and those who live in smoking households are more likely to become smokers themselves.
“While (we) acknowledge the proven skills and abilities of many of our carers who smoke, it is our view that children’s health must be our primary consideration,” a council background paper states.
Existing carers who breach the policy will be offered training and information about the harmful effects of passive smoking.
“Those still unwilling to adhere to the policy will be the subject of a fostering review to discuss the implications of this in terms of their continued fostering,” the paper says.
Asked if this meant carers could lose custody of children, a council spokesman said: “We are not ruling that out.”
