Smoking and Alcohol
Scope of this chapter
Please note as from the 1st October 2015 new rules apply about smoking in vehicles. For further information see GOV.UK website.
Also see information in regard to e-cigarettes on GOV.UK website.
Related guidance
Amendment
This chapter was updated in December 2024.
It is an offence for shops to sell cigarettes and tobacco products to under 18s or for an adult to buy cigarettes or tobacco products for them.
Staff and visitors are not permitted to smoke in front of children. Homes may designate an area, where staff may smoke.
Children may only smoke in the presence of staff if the social worker and, preferably, the child's parents approve. If approval is given, the arrangements for this must be outlined in the child's Placement Plan; together with a clear plan for helping the child to reduce or cease the habit.
Staff are not permitted to purchase or give cigarettes, tobacco, or the materials for making or lighting cigarettes or tobacco to children.
”The use of e-cigarettes among young people is rare and is almost entirely confined to those young people who already smoke”.
See Public Health England - Independent Expert E-cigarettes Evidence Review.
It is an offence for shops to sell e-cigarettes to under 18s or for an adult to buy e-cigarettes for them.
The long-term effects of vaping / E-cigarettes on health are unknown, but it should be regarded as potentially harmful to health in the same way as smoking.
Some children/young people may already vape before they are placed in the Home. Staff should support and encourage such young people to reduce or stop vaping. Support is available from the Looked After Children's Nurse or the young person's GP. This should be discussed with the child/young person's social worker and addressed as part of the young person's Health Plan.
Staff are not permitted to purchase or give vapes to children/young people.
However, if a young person indicates that they would like to try e-cigarettes as a way of giving up smoking, they should be encouraged to contact the LAC Nurse, their GP or local stop smoking services.
For more information, please see: Electronic Cigarettes - Evidence and Advice on E-cigarettes (GOV.UK).
All Homes should be alcohol free zones; alcohol should not be brought or kept on the premises and children should not normally be taken into licensed premises, unless it is part of a clear plan leading toward independence or a special occasion; e.g. Christmas.
If staff are concerned that a child/young person has been drinking alcohol, this should be raised with the Home’s manager and the child’s social worker as required. Where it becomes evident, or it is suspected, that a child or young person has been drinking alcohol, the most appropriate response will vary dependent on how much the young person has had to drink or how it has effected them. These options are outlined below:
- Offering fluids - water, squash;
- Periodic monitoring and checks by staff - 10 minutes, 30 minutes, hourly, etc.
- Contacting health professionals for advice e.g. G.P.;
- Hospitalisation for day patient or overnight stay if appropriate, etc.
See: Alcohol, Young People and the Law (GOV.UK).
Staff are not permitted to consume alcohol whilst on duty and should not arrive at work under the influence of alcohol.
Last Updated: December 19, 2024
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