Date:

05/04/07

FEWER children could be put into care after a groundbreaking US-style drug and alcohol court programme aimed at preventing family breakdown was backed by Camden Council.

The first of its kind in the UK, the pilot scheme would see a new specialist court set up at Wells Street Court in central London.
The Family Drug and Alcohol Court aims to support children and families by dealing with drug and alcohol misuse early on and to prevent children coming into the care system.

A judge, drug and alcohol treatment specialists and social workers would see cases where children might have to go into care because of their parent’s substance misuse and can make same-day referrals for help, advice and support.

By combining these professionals, parents will be put on a rigorous programme to help them overcome their destructive habit more quickly and children will be protected from potential abuse and neglect. Where parents can’t or won’t change their habits, the court team can make faster decisions about finding a permanent home to give their children the family they need.

Two thirds of all care cases coming to the courts in Camden, Islington and Westminster are because of parents' substance misuse. (1)

Camden would act as the lead council in setting up the new court in a partnership with Islington and Westminster, and it will cover all three boroughs.

Judge Nick Crichton, representatives from Brunel University, drug and alcohol and social workers from the three boroughs, specialist lawyers and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) have been working together to bring this initiative forward.

The go-ahead to commission the new Family Drug and Alcohol Court was given by the council’s executive tonight (April 4).  The council will now continue to look for further funding to commission and research the three-year court pilot and aims for the first court to sit in November 2007.

Cllr John Bryant, Camden Council’s Executive Member for Children, said:

“Drugs and alcohol can blight the lives not only of parents, but more importantly their children. We are determined to offer parents comprehensive help in overcoming their addictions. I’m confident the Family Drug and Alcohol Court project will give children a better chance of succeeding in life.

“I have taken a personal interest in this project, spending time last week talking to the permanent secretary to the DfES, who has given us his support as well as Harriet Harman, the appropriate Minister in the former Department of Constitutional Affairs who has been supporting this project."

The specialist team will offer the court expert advice and coordinate parents’ substance abuse treatment plans, as parents can often find it difficult to find their way around the existing complex systems of support. They will also link mothers and fathers into relevant local services, such as therapy or parenting courses.

Notes to Editors

Subject to the level of funding expected being secured, the court will first run as a three-year pilot from November this year.

The full report can be found at www.camden.gov.uk/democracy

The total cost to pilot the Family Drug and Alcohol Court over a three-year period across Camden, Islington and Westminster is £1.6 million. 

The DfES has committed £450,000 funding to the project over three years. 

Currently external funding is being sought to fund this scheme with some match funding contributed from Camden, Islington and Westminster.

The figures are from a feasibility study on the Family Drug and Alcohol court, which commissioned by Camden, Islington and Westminster in 2005 and undertaken by Brunel University. (1)