Letter: Test parents for competency

4 April 2006

There is, quite rightly, major concern about the protection of young people whose parents are using drugs but testing parents for drug use cannot be the only criteria on which a judgment might be based when taking a child away from parents (Children Now, 29 March-4 April).

There are some drug-using parents who are perfectly competent and whilethis does not condone drug use it raises the question of which drugs areincluded in testing. Include alcohol and tobacco and a can of worms isopened. Measures of parental competence rather than drug use, howeverthose drugs are defined, would be better criteria.

Alistair Ramsay, director, Scotland Against Drugs.

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