‘Problem-solving’ approach of Family Drug and Alcohol Courts praised in new study

More new-style family courts which feature lawyer-free hearings should be opened, ministers have been told.

Family Drug and Alcohol Courts (FDACs) are benefiting mothers and helping families re-unite, research by academics suggests.

FDACs should be made “available more widely” and “sustained” long term, says a study by researchers from Brunel University London and Lancaster University.

The courts were launched eight years ago, are aimed at parents with drug or alcohol abuse problems and already operate in several areas.

Judicial heads say FDAC judges take a “problem-solving” approach.

Parents involved appear at fortnightly review hearings before the same judge.

Hearings are often staged without lawyers being present and a specialist independent team, which includes social work experts, advises judges.

The study, called “After FDAC”, concludes: “Given the more durable outcomes from FDAC cases, in relation to substance misuse cessation and family reunification, we conclude that FDAC is a helpful model that should be made available more widely and sustained in the longer term.”

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