6.17 Smoking
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Last Modified:
26-Jul-2023
Review Date:
12-Apr-2021
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| Purpose |
Smoking is a serious health issue, especially for children. The aim is to establish and maintain a smoke-free environment and for all residential care workers to assist in achieving this goal. |
| Practice Requirements |
- Smoking inside buildings and vehicles is prohibited and should be restricted to a supervised, designated outdoor area for children (but not in a bush area where there is a higher fire danger).
Residential care workers who smoke must not smoke in front of, or with, children who smoke. Residential care workers must actively discourage children from smoking via a smoking reduction / quit program in consultation with the child's caseworker. Residential care workers must not give, buy for, or sell tobacco or tobacco products to children in residential care. Tobacco products must not be used as a form of reward or punishment by workers in their dealings with children. No contract of behaviour may be drawn up which features tobacco products as a reward or inducement, or withholding tobacco products as punishment. Residential care workers must not assist children to obtain tobacco products by driving them to the store (so called bumper runs). Residential care workers must actively advise children of the risks and negative impact of smoking in community and resident meetings, and at any other opportunity. Residential care workers must not leave the residential care home to smoke.
Contacts |
Procedures- Overview
OverviewManagers and residential care workers must provide information on the risks of smoking and illnesses related to smoking either through literature and/or internet information from a reputable source (refer to related resources). Residential care workers should record their attempts to discourage children from smoking in the Log Book. The Department has the same expectation of all children regardless of age, but does not want children who smoke to leave because of its restrictions on smoking. Managers must actively monitor residential care workers’ smoking and their adherence to the Department’s Smoking in the Workplace Policy. Failure to comply with this policy could eventually result in disciplinary action being taken. The Smoking in the Workplace Policy and smoking related issues should form an active component of workers meetings. When new workers are recruited, they must be informed that the Department's residential care services have a smoke-free policy. Residential care workers who smoke must always be professional, while also being honest and genuine, in their interactions with children about smoking. Department workers are responsible for not bringing the Department into disrepute. Workers must not be observed by members of the community smoking at an inappropriate venue, such as across the road from homes and in bus stops. There is also a potential for a greater risk of fire in the community when workers are smoking in an inappropriate place.
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