Family Drug and Alcohol Court's 'humane' approach keeps more families together
Over 5 years, researchers followed up cases that had been through the London FDAC and compared them with similar cases going through ordinary care proceedings. A linked study also found the FDAC model is being followed successfully in a growing number of courts and judges are keen to extend it further. As a result, the researchers say the London FDAC, the first in the country, has reduced the number of children taken into care because of parental substance misuse compared with those in ordinary care proceedings. To build on this success, the researchers highlight the need for greater support for family reunification after care proceedings finish and for health and adult services to contribute to funding FDAC alongside children's services. The first study, which compared FDAC cases with similar cases heard in ordinary care proceedings, found that: • A significantly higher proportion of FDAC mothers were reunited with their children at the end of proceedings (37% v 25%) • E...