Birmingham and Solihull family drug and alcohol court to open
Joe Lepper
Thursday, February 25, 2021
A new family drug and alcohol court (FDAC) is set to launch in Birmingham and Solihull, with the first hearings to take place in March.
The specialist courts focus on working with parents impacted by drug and alcohol abuse, mental health problems and domestic abuse with the aim of reducing the number of children being taken into care.
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The initiative was launched in 2008 and in 2019 plans were announced by the government to roll out the courts in 39 more areas, including the Birmingham region.
The court in Birmingham and Solihull is to commence its first hearings within weeks and will operate as an initial two-year pilot, which is being evaluated by the What Works Centre.
It is hoped that at least 60 families will benefit from the initiative.
The Birmingham and Solihull FDAC is being supported by the Birmingham Children’s Trust and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council with funding from the Department for Education.
“This model offers the opportunity to work differently with parents to produce better outcomes for their children,” said Birmingham Children’s Trust chair Andrew Christie.
“Bringing services together, led by a specialist judge, to get the right support and challenge in place offers us the opportunity to make a real difference.”
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has provided funding for a domestic abuse worker to be part of the FDAC’s team.
Other professionals involved include social workers, psychiatrists and psychologists as well as peer mentors and substance abuse specialists.
Families involved see the same judge every two weeks with a focus on tackling their substance misuse and keeping families together.
Ken Meeson, Solihull Council’s cabinet portfolio holder for children, education and skills added: “We hope that this problem-solving approach to care proceedings will mean closer working with Solihull families that need that additional support, meaning improved outcomes for children and their families.”
Research from other FDACs has shown that this form of specialist court helps more parents to reduce and control their substance misuse and enables more children to return or remain in their parents’ care.
Studies by a team from Brunel University found that FDACs helped more than a third of mothers involved to be reunited with their children, compared with less than a fifth of cases without this specialist support. A quarter of fathers involved no longer misused substances, compared with five per cent of those not supported by an FDAC.