Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) - Evaluation Research Study
- to describe the FDAC pilot and identify set-up and implementation lessons
- to make comparisons with standard court proceedings involving parental substance misuse, including a comparison of costs, and
- to indicate whether this different approach might lead to better outcomes for children and parents.
original feasibility study final report
executive summary
highlights
The Research Team
- Professor Judith Harwin (principal investigator)
- Mary Ryan (RTB Associates) (consultant research fellow, stages 1 & 2; stage 1 final report)
- Jo Tunnard (RTB Associates) (consultant research fellow, stages 1 & 2; stage 1 final report)
- Dr Subhash Pokhrel (stage 1: economist/cost study)
- Dr Gemma Lewis (stage 2: research fellow)
- Dr Bachar Alrouh (stages1 & 2: research assistant/data management)
- Dr Carla Matias (research fellow, stage 1: June 2008 to August 2010)
- Dr Sharon Momenian-Schneider (part-time research fellow, stage 1: January to June 2008)
- Dr Christy Barry (stage 2: part-time research administrator)
New research on FDAC by Brunel University
In 2011 Brunel University received further funding from the Nuffield Foundation to continue the FDAC evaluation as more than 100 families have now entered FDAC. Stage two presents a unique opportunity to examine whether the encouraging results from the first stage study can be replicated on larger case numbers. It will also allow us to examine outcomes of family reunification to see whether parents are able to sustain their recovery from drugs and alcohol misuse and continue to parent effectively once the care order is made, FDAC involvement ceases, and parents are made subject to a supervision order. The new 24 month study started in June 2011 and will complete late 2013.
