Drug and alcohol testing for family law proceedings

If parental substance abuse is a concern and children could potentially be unsafe in their own home, care proceedings will be initiated. In these cases, accurate drug and alcohol testing is vital to make informed decisions. Understanding the pattern and extent of substance abuse can help assess any risk to the family unit. Tests can also be useful to prove historical drug and/or alcohol use.

Court decisions rely on accurate drug and alcohol testing

Life-changing care proceedings need decisions that are backed by scientific evidence. The results of drug and alcohol tests need to be accurate – and importantly – presented on time. AlphaBiolabs is a trusted and competent testing laboratory that specialises in drug and alcohol testing. We have worked with social workers and family law solicitors for over 15 years, and our legal testing is recognised and used in family law proceedings.

AlphaBiolabs is different to many other testing companies because we have our own in-house laboratory. This laboratory is accredited by UKAS to ISO 17025 standard (No. 2773), which means you can be confident of getting accurate results. We also follow the Society of Hair Testing guidelines for hair strand testing [1]. In addition, our drug and alcohol testing methods are the fastest available. We can turnaround results within 3 days, which is essential for meeting tight court deadlines.

Wide range of drug and alcohol tests for family law proceedings

AlphaBiolabs offers a full legal drug testing service ranging from hair clippings (both head and body), urine, oral fluid and nail clippings. We also have a Drug Screen Plus service, which analyses samples for any drugs present. We will then issue a report on exactly what we find. More information on the drug tests available can be read in Drug testing for court.

Legal alcohol tests include 3- or 6-month hair analyses to show alcohol consumption over a period of time, blood analysis, nail clippings, point-of-care breath tests and continuous results are also available using an innovative alcohol monitoring bracelet, SCRAM CAM®. Phosphatidylethanol (PEth) is a direct biomarker of alcohol and is therefore one of our most accurate blood tests to determine alcohol abuse. It can detect chronic and single-drinking episodes. It can also be used to monitor abstinence, drinking behaviour and identify relapse. PEth analysis can also verify whether an individual has changed their pattern of alcohol consumption.

Statement of Witness reports

Together with the other available evidence, our Statement of Witness reports will be invaluable in helping you determine the outcome for family law proceedings. They include all of the details of the drug and alcohol tests performed, the results in full and a conclusion based on the evidence. In addition, to save you time deciphering the content, our reporting scientists also provide their expert opinion where they interpret the results.

The Statement of Witness reports work within the framework of Family Law and follow Part 25 of the Family Procedure Rules (2010). They are clear, succinct and won’t baffle you with science.

Whether you are a private individual, a business, a social worker or solicitor, we can help you with expert advice on legal drug testing and legal alcohol testing. We also offer interest-free credit options for privately paying customers. Please call 0333 600 1300 or email us at info@alphabiolabs.com

[1] Forensic Science International 2012;218:20–24.