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Forensic Testing Service is an authorised external CPD course provider
It is not well understood that testing and test results, are only one component of many, required to find a reliable answer in substance abuse cases.
There is considerable confusion and misunderstanding with regards to drug and alcohol testing, particularly in child care proceedings. This has been exacerbated over recent years due to pressure from the LAA on costs and the consequential eagerness of testing laboratories to sell cheap tests, resulting in it being oversimplified and inappropriately used.
Tests are frequently not fit for purpose and the resulting reports are not providing reliable answers or in many cases they just provide results with no clear opinion as to what the results mean. Increasingly this is having serious consequences, misleading the courts and leading to miscarriages of justice.
FTS have created an informative CPD training course available free to legal professionals, social care workers and local authorities to help provide a deeper understanding of drug and alcohol testing.
Choose from our Bite Sized training courses and our full SRA authorised CPD course. Scroll down for details.
Bite-sized CPD seminars
Bite-size CPDs divided into 1-hour sessions – delivered face to face or online by our experts in the field of substance testing in family law and child protection.
Factors affecting hair test results
Is it true that people with dark hair are more likely to have their child removed?
What effect does dyeing hair really have on a test result?
Case studies – varying outcomes with and without cut off levels.
The testing of children
When is the testing of children appropriate?
Sensitive management of the collection process.
Case studies – redacted examples of real child testing cases.
Alcohol testing
Overview of various testing methods.
Putting results in to context.
The legal process
Support with Part 25 applications and court order wording.
Free form Q & A
An opportunity to question our experts about all aspects of drug and alcohol testing.
Present a specific case study to us for review and discussion.
How to book an FTS CPD
Call 01924 480272 or Email expert@forensic-testing.co.uk with the courses that you are interested in and we will confirm availability.
Half day SRA approved CPD
Delivered face to face or online by our experts in the field of substance testing in family law and child protection.
Background
Who are the Forensic Testing Service
FTS are a specialist drug and alcohol testing laboratory servicing law firms and courts around the country. The Forensic Testing Service laboratory is fully accredited to the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005 by UKAS, number 7550. However, FTS are more than a testing laboratory and have extensive experience and expertise in the reliable identification and assessment of drug and alcohol misuse and its application to child care. FTS work closely with all parties involved in proceeding and pre-proceedings to achieve the best possible outcome and the majority of FTS’s work is funded by the LAA.
Background
It is not well understood that testing and test results, are only one component of many, required to find a reliable answer to the above question.
There is considerable confusion and misunderstanding with regards to drug and alcohol testing, particularly in child care proceedings. This has been exacerbated over recent years due to pressure from the LAA on costs and the consequential eagerness of testing laboratories to sell cheap tests, resulting in it being oversimplified and inappropriately used.
Tests are frequently not fit for purpose and the resulting reports are not providing reliable answers or in many cases they just provide results with no clear opinion as to what the results mean. Increasingly this is having serious consequences, misleading the courts and leading to miscarriages of justice.
Typically it is the process used, to obtain evidence relating to drug and alcohol misuse, in care proceedings, that is failing. When Drugs and or Alcohol are suspected to present a likely risk to a child, FTS have fundamentally changed this process. In collaboration with all parties involved in the care process, FTS have developed a process to ensure that if testing for substance misuse is used, then it has the best opportunity to lead to a reliable answer to the above question.
This process starts even before testing has been decided, provides the most reliable and cost effective route to getting the right answer in the shortest time scale and is already proving to be very successful in many parts of the country.
Course aims and intended learning outcomes
Our course is designed to provide an introduction including confirmation of the latest LAA guidelines and the LAA’s position on drug and alcohol testing, an overview of the complex issue of testing and the need to engage with experts.
- To understand how to obtain reliable evidence from testing that helps the decision making process.
- To demonstrate that testing represents a significant challenge to the experts in this field and understandably, is outside the skill and expertise of the LAA, courts, solicitors and social services – it is not a commodity product.
- To understand that test results alone are meaningless unless the test profile was fit for purpose, they are in context of all influencing factors and each case is investigated thoroughly and interpreted by an expert with experience in the application of testing in child care proceedings.
- To have a clear understanding of how and when to engage with experts.
- To have a better understanding of the most appropriate test profiles required in cases.
- To attain a better understanding of the limitations of testing in child cases.
Course Length
Choose from either 1 or 2 hours depending on your requirements
we provide training on two topics:
- Drug testing, using case studies including group discussion and Q & A.
- Alcohol testing, using case studies including group discussion and Q & A.
Forensic Testing Service is authorised by the SRA under SRA reference FPL/FTSL to provide accredited CPD courses.