Family Courts

(asked on 24th October 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what cost benefit analysis her Department has carried out of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court pilots to date.


Answered by
Edward Timpson Portrait
Edward Timpson
This question was answered on 27th October 2016

The Government's Children's Social Care Innovation Programme has enabled approaches like the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) to be tried and tested in order to develop and spread new and more effective ways of supporting vulnerable children.

We recognise the positive results the FDAC achieves as evidenced in the latest research report published by Lancaster University[1]. This research published in September – and funded by the Department for Education Innovation Unit - found that mothers reunited with their children after care proceedings in the FDAC are more likely to stay off drugs and alcohol for longer and their family life less likely to be disrupted when compared with cases heard in ordinary care proceedings. A linked study, also published in September, indicated that the FDAC model is being successfully implemented in different courts around the country, and the local Judges were unanimous in their support for the FDAC approach. The department has not carried out any cost benefit analysis, but earlier this year, evidence from the Centre for Justice Innovation revealed that FDAC saves the taxpayer £2.30 for every £1 spent.

I met with Judge Nick Crighton and members of the FDAC National Unit on 19 October to discuss the latest research reports and progress on implementing the FDAC project.

No decision has been taken on future Government funding for the FDAC project.

[1] http://fdac.org.uk/better-outcomes-children-parents/

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