Banning smokers from fostering children is ridiculous (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Banning smokers from fostering children is ridiculous

5:14pm Wednesday 5th November 2008 in Wanstead & Woodford

SO Redbridge Council has finally joined the PC brigade and banned smokers from fostering children.

I would have thought that smoking is way down the list of priorities as to what makes a decent parent, but the council has taken it upon itself to decide that it is incompatible with bringing up children.

Smoking is not a good habit and should not take place around children but it hardly has a bearing on the ability of an adult to bring up a child.

No wonder the council finds it hard to place children with families. There are so many things that would seem to disqualify you that it is doubtful whether anyone exists who is perfect enough to fulfil all the criteria.

In their zeal to create a perfect environment for children they may find that it is somewhere that no one can get to. If you are concerned so much with their health and safety you ought to be thinking about isolation rooms within secure units.

But life is not like that and councils should be more focused on finding loving family environments for the children in their care than policing the bad habits of the parents.

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