CONTRACT FOR DRUG & ALCOHOL TESTING ON BEHALF OF THE FAMILY DRUG AND ALCOHOL COURT NORTH EAST (FDAC)

Family Drug and Alcohol Courts offer an alternative approach to ordinary care proceedings. The FDAC judge holds fortnightly court reviews with parents, in addition to the usual court hearings with lawyers present. A specialist multi-disciplinary FDAC team works closely with the judge and other professionals to provide intensive intervention and support for parents wishing to turn their lives around. The principles underpinning FDAC are shared with other problem-solving courts and there is a firm focus on working positively with parents. Independent evaluations of FDAC carried out by Brunel and Lancaster Universities have found that FDAC was more successful than ordinary proceedings in helping parents achieve abstinence from drugs and alcohol and thus enabled more children to be reunified with their parents. As part of FDAC care proceedings parents will be asked to work towards abstinence and engage in drug and alcohol testing in order to evidence their progress in achieving this. This testing will be provided by the FDAC team, and the awarded contractor. This is a contract award notice NOT an opportunity to apply.