Smokers to be 'banned' from fostering children under five

The Fostering Network, which oversees Britain's 42,000 foster carers, will issue new rules to local authorities and agencies to protect young children from cancer and asthma.

Studies have shown youngsters are especially vulnerable to such illnesses. The move is also to counteract fears children will sue if they later get smoking-related problems.

But it has drawn criticism it will aggravate the shortage of foster parents, which currently stands at 10,000.

The new rules, being backed by the British Association for Adoption & Fostering, were unveiled in a Fostering Network policy paper called "Foster carers and smoking". It states: "The issue of smoking and foster carers is controversial and requires that the rights of foster carers to smoke be balanced against the rights of looked after children who frequently come into the care system with neglected or impaired health but who have the right to be healthy.

"Fostering services may be making themselves liable for legal challenge if the health of former looked after children and young people becomes compromised as a result of their placements when in care.

"Whilst all children have the right to be placed in a smoke-free environment, there are particular health risks for children under 5 that need to be taken into consideration when being placed.

"No children under 5 years old should be placed with non-related foster carers who smoke – this is because of the particularly high health risks for very young children and toddlers who spend most of their day physically close to their carers."

The rules also say disabled children of any age or those who are unable to play outside and those with breathing problems like asthma should never be placed with fosters carers who smoke.

Local authorities will still have the final say over who can foster but are expected to agree to the proposals.

They will not come into effect immediately, but after the process of changing their own regulations takes place.

Earlier this month, Portsmouth City Council independently banned smokers from adopting under-fives over health fears.

And this week Liverpool City Council asked residents not to smoke during a visit by one of it's officials.

Raina Sheridan, deputy chief executive of the Fostering Network, said: "We know there are very good foster carers who smoke.

"But we also know that the health and well-being of children and young people had to be the priority.

"We hope all fostering agencies will eventually move to the point where all children are placed into a smoke-free environment." Smokers are already banned from adopting under-fives.

Pro-smoking group Forest said the latest move was blatantly discriminatory. A spokesman said: "They are risking removing thousands of excellent foster parents from the system for the simple reason that they smoke."