Forensic Testing Service will be attending conferences and events across the UK this autumn, with opportunities to meet the FTS team and discuss drug and alcohol testing for family law and childcare proceedings.

In legal and safeguarding proceedings, forensic testing must withstand scrutiny. It must be proportionate, transparent and supported by expert interpretation.

Forensic testing is only one stage within a structured evidential process. Once samples have been collected and analysis is complete, a number of important steps follow.

Forensic drug and alcohol testing must meet a set a set of recognised scientific and procedural standards, to be relied upon in legal or safeguarding contexts.

When forensic testing is discussed, a common questions is how far back a test can detect substance use. The answer is rarely straightforward.

Forensic analysis supports legal decisions when results are interpreted in context and considered alongside wider evidence.

The rapid emergence of new and often undetectable substances means forensic drug testing must continually evolve.

In complex legal cases, forensic drug and alcohol testing must do more than produce a positive or negative result.