Second Family Drug and Alcohol Court gets green light

The second Family Drug and Alcohol Court in the country is to be set up in Gloucestershire with the backing of the county council, NHS Gloucestershire and Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.

Development of the new court, which will be based in Gloucester and be part of of a new Early Years Specialist Service, will begin in the Autumn.

Families selected for FDAC will have more regular court hearings than those going through ordinary care proceedings. As with the London court, they will see the same judge throughout.

The specialist service – provided by a team of professionals including drug, alcohol and mental health workers, health visitors and social workers – will support vulnerable children under five who are experiencing neglect.

Gloucestershire County Council said that, under the scheme, parents would get fast access to services, including therapies and detoxification, and help with housing issues, parenting, domestic violence and financial hardship. They may also receive support from mentors, who have turned their own lives around.

The authority added: “Children will also be provided with the support they need to be ready for school and do well, with fast track access to services, including speech and language therapists, and funding for early education for vulnerable two-year-olds.”

The pilot FDAC has been run at the Inner London Family Proceedings Court under the leadership of District Judge Crichton. Its purpose is to reduce the time taken for care proceedings to fully resolve and for children to find a permanent home – whether with their relatives or an adoptive family.

Research by the Nuffield Foundation and Brunel University found that parents who went through FDAC were more likely to stop their substance misuse than those in ordinary care proceedings, meaning that fewer children went into care.

At the time of the final court order, 39% of FDAC mothers were reunited with their children compared to 21% of the comparison group in ordinary care proceedings. A higher percentage of FDAC mothers and fathers were no longer misusing substances.

The study also suggested that the court had the capacity to deliver reduced costs in a range of areas. This was through shorter care placements (estimated to cost £4,000 per child less), shorter court hearings, less need for legal representatives at hearings (saving local authorities £682 per family) and fewer contested cases. The work of the specialist team also delivered significant savings.

Cllr Paul McLain, Cabinet Member for Vulnerable Families at Gloucestershire County Council, said: "The specialist service and the new Family Drug and Alcohol Court will give families struggling with drug and alcohol problems intensive support to turn themselves around.

"Parents will get help to get clean, stay clean and be better parents so that, where possible, they can care for their children. The focus will be on the family's needs, concerns and strengths with everyone working towards the best possible outcome for the children - a stable and safe home."

Judge Barclay, said: "I am delighted that the county council, in conjunction with HM Courts and Tribunals Service, is investing in an Family Drug and Alcohol Court as part of the new specialist service. This is a considerable commitment of resources, but the only other such service in London has been praised in the Family Justice Review and has recently received a very positive independent evaluation from the Nuffield Foundation.

"I believe that this development provides an exciting and innovative opportunity for collaborative working between the specialist team, the Court and those parents who agree to participate in the scheme. It should make a real and timely difference in the lives of the children who are supported by the FDAC scheme."

A family can choose not to take the FDAC route and have their case heard in the usual family proceedings court.

Philip Hoult