The smoking issue is a sensitive one. While, as a non-smoker, I object to smoking generally, never mind around my children or those I care for, then I suppose if parents smoke around their children and agree to a childminder smoking, it is down to them to make a choice. However, the smacking issue is one I do not agree on, even with parental permission. How do you regulate what constitutes a smack? How do we know when too much force is used?
The smoking issue is a sensitive one. While, as a non-smoker, I object to smoking generally, never mind around my children or those I care for, then I suppose if parents smoke around their children and agree to a childminder smoking, it is down to them to make a choice.
However, the smacking issue is one I do not agree on, even with parental permission. How do you regulate what constitutes a smack? How do we know when too much force is used?
As a childcare worker in an organisation where we witness first-hand the effects of abuse and domestic violence on children and families, I believe that smacking in childcare settings - which is what a childminder's home is - is completely unacceptable.
Chris Onion, Derby
