Courts for addicted parents work. So why are they being stripped of support?

Research focusing on mothers and children shows that almost half – 46% – had stopped misusing alcohol and drugs by the end of FDAC court proceedings, in contrast to the 30% who went through the ordinary court process. Almost 60% of mothers who kept their children were likely to still be clean of addictive substances five years after FDAC proceedings, compared with 24% in other courts.

FDAC also helps keep families together: fewer than one in five parents who go through ordinary care proceedings end up keeping their children, while at least one-third of families stay together if they go through the FDAC system. In some FDAC courts, the rate of success for families is almost half.

The court is also cheaper than care proceedings: for every £1 invested in FDAC, £2.30 of public money is saved by reducing the long-term need for drug treatment, drug-related crime, future court costs and money spent on taking children into care. “FDAC works in every sense,” says Tim Loughton, the former shadow minister for children and member of the home affairs select committee. “It needs to be mainstreamed across care proceedings.” More