The Family Drug and
Alcohol Court
Sophie Kershaw
Service Manager
Copyright presentation: FDAC Team
Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust and Coram
Genesis of the Family Drug &
Alcohol Court Pilot
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American model
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Judge Nick Crichton
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£1.3M over 3 years
 Her Majesty's Court Service, Dept of Children Schools and
Families, Ministry of Justice & Home Office
 Camden, Islington & Westminster local authorities

Nuffield funding an evaluation by Brunel University (Prof Judith
Harwin)

Provided by the Tavistock in collaboration with Coram
Main Aims of the FDAC

To test out whether the FDAC model improves outcomes for children - if
there are better outcomes for children in terms of either rehabilitation or
earlier placement outside the family if parents fail to engage
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To see whether parents are successful in controlling or giving up their
substance misuse and whether there is greater engagement and retention
with substance misuse services - as opposed to parents not able to access
the FDAC – aim to get parents engaged with services not to go through a
range of assessments

To increase the Court’s confidence in making decisions without the need for
receiving reports from a wide range of external experts aim for fewer
requests for expert assessments or reports and fewer repeated
assessments

To test out whether more timely decision making for the most vulnerable
children takes place
Time limited trial for change with intensive support &
compulsion
The H Family’s Journey through
FDAC
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
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The Local Authority initiated care proceedings an
altercation with another couple where Ms H
head-butted the other woman who was holding
a baby.
In the background was a 14 year history of
neglect and violence in the context of parental
substance abuse
The Local Authority removed the children and
asked the Father to move out of the family
home
Engagement & Assessment

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The FDAC team (parent mentors and
multidisciplinary professional team) met
the family in court on the first day of
proceedings and invited them to join the
project
In the same week the family were visited
at home and spent the day at the FDAC
team base at Coram Fields
History: parents
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Father is a 40 year old man with a 20+ year history of
poly-substance misuse and alcohol dependence. He also
has a history of violent crimes against members of his
family, the public and police.
Mother is in her late 30s she has had problems with
depression, amphetamine misuse and hazardous nondependent drinking. Abstained during pregnancy and
first 2 years of life for youngest son (c)
History: children
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16-year-old daughter (A) was sexually abused
by a babysitter aged 4. Oppositional behaviour
emerged in teens, promiscuous, substance
misuse and under-achieving academically
14-year-old son (B) has ADHD, head injury (with
personality change), persistent aggression and
school failure
3 1/2-year-old son (C) apparently doing well
Parent’s goals

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Abstain from drugs and alcohol and
overcome their dependence on substances
Address their problems with violence
For the couple to be reunited and for the
youngest child (C) to be returned
Initial prognosis

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Substance misuse: poor
Violence: poor
Meet their children’s needs: poor
Intervention Algorithm
Y
Supported
rehabilitation
for the family
N
Timely permanency
elsewhere for the child
Intervention Algorithm
Starting recovery
from substance
misuse:
Y
Y
Supported
rehabilitation
for the family
Can the parents (in the
child’s timeframe)
a)Abstain from street drugs
and alcohol?
b)Create a safe enough
environment?
c)Begin to address the
issues driving the
substance misuse?
O
r
Child’s needs:
N
Either
Timely permanency
elsewhere for the child
Has the child:
a) Suffered ‘Significant Harm’
b) Any special needs with respect
to parenting, healthcare, &
education
Intervention Algorithm
Starting recovery
from substance
misuse:
Competent
parenting:
Y
Can the parents (in the
child’s timeframe):
a)Sustain recovery?
b)Create a child-centered
lifestyle?
c)Meet their child’s
needs?
Can the parents (in the
child’s timeframe)
a)Abstain from street drugs
and alcohol?
b)Create a safe enough
environment?
c)Begin to address the
issues driving the
substance misuse?
Supported
rehabilitation
for the family
O
r
Child’s needs:
N
Either
Timely permanency
elsewhere for the child
Y
Has the child:
a) Suffered ‘Significant Harm’
b) Any special needs with respect
to parenting, healthcare, &
education
Initial plan
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Detoxification under medical supervision
for Father
Stabilise Mother in the community
Testing
Assessment of the children’s needs
Parenting skills course Mo and Child C
Progress

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Mother stopped drinking and amphetamines, regularly
attended contact, teenage children said she was ‘more
herself’
Father had difficulty making any progress in the first 3
months and so went into residential detoxification and
rehabilitation
Couple celebrated Father getting into detoxification by
having a drink
Agreed with parents unable to meet A & B’s needs but
might manage C (who then returned)
Prognosis now
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Substance misuse: Mother fair, Father still
poor
Violence: Uncertain
Meeting C’s needs: Mother fair, father
poor
Next step
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Father returns home to Mother and child C
Domestic violence group
Mother knows she may have to go it alone
What’s different about the FDAC?
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Therapeutic relationships with the FDAC team including the Judge
 We have met relatively few families who don’t want to overcome their problems
and stay together, however they need guidance on how to achieve their goals
 Assessment, prognosis, referrals and drug/alcohol testing via the FDAC Specialist
Team within 2/3 weeks of first hearing
 FDAC team promotes the family’s problem solving capacities, parents are part of
the planning, collaborative working
 FDAC team continue to support the family and coordinate, review and amend the
interventions for up to a year
 Transparency
Testing and rapid intervention
Parent Mentors provide credible role models of resilience and change
Network of Collaborators
 FDAC sits at the centre of a vast network of court, social care, health, housing,
etc services
 FDAC broker, co-ordinate and monitor the best possible intervention package
with efficiency and within tight timescales
Less adversarial court process which parents find fair, motivating and supportive
Other Benefits
•All parents in FDAC are working with community treatment services. High retention
rates
•Increased involvement in community family-orientated services
•Parents are changing their lifestyles and moving away from criminality. High rates of
reduced recidivism
•Parents are developing aspirations for education and employment
•Decrease in expert reports being directed on FDAC cases - savings are being made
•Emphasis on problem solving and Collaborative working across 3 London Boroughs
and across adult and children’s services
•Increased knowledge for social workers about addiction – increased safety for
children
•Improving relationships between families and the Local authority social workers
•Intergenerational cycle of harm and dysfunction being broken
What the Interim report said?
The FDAC team – is proactive
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Seeing swift assessments
Substance misuse services provided form the start
Team facilitates access to community drug and alcohol services
Linking parents to other services, such as DV and housing
The Judge
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Non traditional role, engaging directly with the parents
High rate of attendance at reviews
Judges are using a problem solving approach
Parents value the role of the Judge and seeing the same Judge
Proactive Case Management
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Swift decision making if parents are not making progress
Overcoming substance misuse and demonstrating good parenting takes time
Some cases taking 1 year.
Key messages
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FDAC is very different from standard care proceedings
The early results are encouraging
Model still evolving
Final report in October 2010
To download full interim report:
www.brunel.ac.uk/fdacresearch
To contact the FDAC team – 0207 278 5708
Skershaw.fdacteam@coram.org.uk
What the parents say?
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Show DVD