Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking

If you have any concerns that a child in your care may be misusing substances (either drugs or alcohol) you should raise this with the child/young person’s social worker or your Supervising Social Worker.

Contents

1. Alcohol
   

   1.1	What to do if a Child is Drunk
   1.2	Alcohol and the Law

2. Drugs and Substance Misuse
3. Smoking (including e-cigarettes)

1. Alcohol

It is part of a foster carer’s role to ensure that young people are educated about alcohol; the more that young people know about alcohol and its effects, the more likely they are to make informed and responsible decisions about drinking. By talking about alcohol you can give out the right messages and reinforce positive behaviour.

When you have concerns that young people in your care may be using alcohol (or drugs) it is really important that channels of communication are kept open.

Children should never be given alcohol by foster carers. However, in advance of special or festive occasions when it might be appropriate to discuss this with the child’s social worker, and to ask them to ascertain the parent’s views. There may be religious or cultural reasons that should be considered, or alcohol might have been a negative feature of their home life.

1.1 What to do if a Child is Drunk

Where you suspect that a child/young person has been drinking alcohol, depending on how much they think they have drunk, you may need to:

• Offer non alcoholic fluids - water, squash;
• Monitor and check the child/young person - 10 minutes, 30 minutes, hourly, etc. especially if they go to sleep;
• Contacting health professionals for advice i.e. G.P. or NHS by calling NHS 111 or viewing NHS advice online;
• Consider taking the child to the hospital Emergency Department.

You should never ignore a child/young person who appears drunk or under the influence of another substance. Make sure that:

• If a young person has drunk alcohol or appears drunk it is recorded in your daily record / diary sheet;
• You are clear about a young person’s religious or cultural beliefs as they may forbid the use of alcohol;
• The young person is aware of the possible conflict between taking prescribed medication and drinking alcohol;
• You are aware of the amount of alcohol in your home.

Remember that that children or young people in your care may have had previous bad experiences linked to adult’s use of alcohol and so may become anxious if you drink.

1.2 Alcohol and the Law

Alcohol consumption in the UK is governed by strict laws.

It is against the law:

• For shops or pubs / bars / restaurants to sell alcohol to someone under 18 years old;
• For an adult to buy or attempt to buy alcohol on behalf of someone under 18 Years. Retailers can reserve the right to refuse the sale of alcohol to an adult if they’re accompanied by a child and think the alcohol is being bought for the child;
• For someone under 18 to buy alcohol, attempt to buy alcohol or to be sold alcohol;
• For someone under 18 to drink alcohol in licensed premises, except where the child is 16 or 17 years old and accompanied by an adult. In this case it is legal for them to drink, but not buy, beer, wine and cider with a table meal;
• For an adult to buy alcohol for someone under 18 for consumption on licensed premises, except as above;
• To give children alcohol if they are under 5 years old.

It is not illegal:

• For someone over 18 to buy a child over 16 years beer, wine or cider if they are eating a table meal together in licensed premises;
• For a child aged 5 to 16 years to drink alcohol at home or on other private premises.

2. Drugs and Substance Misuse

Foster carers are not expected to know everything about drugs and illegal substances, but an awareness of some of the key issues can help you to respond appropriately if you have any concerns about the young people in your care.

All young people can be tempted to experiment with drugs, no matter where they come from or their background. Some children and young people will be in foster care because of substance misuse in their family and this may inform how they feel about drugs and their knowledge.

Drugs are defined as any substances, whether restricted or prohibited, which may have a harmful effect upon a child. These include:

Aerosols, gas, glue, Magic Mushrooms, petrol, solvents and all controlled substances such as amphetamines, ecstasy, barbiturates, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, Nitrous Oxide (NOS), hashish and heroin. It can also include alcohol, cigarettes and tobacco.

It also includes psychoactive substances such as Spice which can cause a very similar range of problems to the drugs they have been designed to mimic, including a risk of dependence developing with repeated use.

See: Frank- new psychoactive substances and Frank – Drugs A-Z.

It can be difficult to tell if a young person is using drugs, particularly when a child/ young person first tries drugs or only takes them occasionally.

Some possible indications of drug abuse are:

• Sudden changes of mood;
• Irritability;
• Loss of appetite;
• Increased appetite - possibly wanting sweet things more;
• Drowsiness or sleepiness;
• Unexplained loss of money or belongings;
• Unusual smells, stains or marks on the body, clothes or around the house.

Many of these signs are easily confused with typical adolescent behaviour, so it is important not to jump to the wrong conclusion. Always speak to the child’s social worker or your Supervising Social Worker if you are concerned. Further specialist training is available on drug and alcohol misuse and there are people who specialise in working with young people on these issues. Access to these services should be planned in conjunction with the child’s social worker. You could be held responsible for any illegal drugs that are kept in your home so having clear boundaries about drug use is important.

Young people often have access to a range of domestic products that are harmful and potentially fatal to them when inhaled. You should be vigilant with young people around aerosol products, nail varnish, corrective fluid, glues etc.

Training is also provided by the fostering service; speak to your Supervising Social Worker.

3. Smoking (including e-cigarettes)

Some children/young people placed with you may already smoke; you should support and encourage such young people to reduce or stop smoking. You can get support from the Looked After Children’s Nurse or local Stop Smoking team (see Stop Smoking - support in York) or the young person’s GP.

Remember:

• It is against the law for retailers to sell cigarettes/cigarette papers, tobacco, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or e-liquids to someone under 18 years;
• Rules about when, where and by who is allowed to smoke in the fostering home should be clear;
• To be a positive role model to children/young people;
• To raise awareness of the effects of smoking and tobacco use and how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Your role is to:

• Consider your own health, and that of your family and the children you foster. If you are offered smoking cessation support, you should consider taking up the service;
• Be mindful that your behaviour provides a role model for the children in your care and consider the effect of smoking on children;
• Never buy cigarettes for children/young people in your care, and cigarettes must never be used as a reward for good behaviour;
• Put in place household rules about smoking, making these clear to young people (appropriate age) placed with you;
• It is illegal to smoke in your car when carrying someone who is under 18 (see GOV.UK, Smoking in vehicles). This applies when people have the windows down or the sunroof open, or are sitting in the open doorway of a car.

The rules don't apply to e-cigarettes (vaping) or a convertible car with the roof completely down. However as the effects of this are unknown, the fostering service views this in the same way as smoking and would recommend you do not do this with children present.