Helping courts and employers see the full picture
For legal professionals, alcohol misuse is a key concern in family law and child protection. According to the Department for Education, 73,250 social care cases in the year ending 31 March 2025 involved concerns about a parent’s alcohol misuse. While drugs often attract the headlines, alcohol is the substance more frequently linked to child neglect, domestic abuse, and fluctuating parental capacity. With around 1 in every 30 children classified as being “in need” of social care services, understanding patterns of alcohol consumption among parents or guardians is critical to safeguarding cases.
Meanwhile in the workplace, alcohol misuse is likely to be minimised, misunderstood, or missed. This is despite studies suggesting that a whopping 40 per cent of workplace industrial accidents are due to substance misuse.
Using alcohol testing to support decision making
At Certis BioLabs, we provide clear and scientifically grounded evidence about alcohol and drug patterns of use to support sound decision making. Our UKAS-accredited laboratory partner and experienced forensic teams will help you identify patterns of use over time, so that fair decisions can be taken in family courts or the workplace. We understand that every test result goes deeper than data: it can impact a child’s or adult’s future. That’s why we uphold the highest standards of accuracy, confidentiality, and scientific clarity in all our services.
How do we do this? We develop a full picture of alcohol consumption by looking at alcohol biomarkers in hair, blood, urine, and nail samples. These biomarkers are usually produced in the body following alcohol consumption and can provide insight into a person’s alcohol consumption patterns over time. With our reports, you will have clear, court-compliant evidence of alcohol use over both short and extended time periods.
What test is best for your case?
There are a lot of tests out there and it can be confusing to know which to choose from.
We can offer:
- Hair strand testing: By looking at biomarkers left by alcohol in the hair (EtG, EtPa), this test can indicate excessive or chronic historical consumption over a 1-6 month window.
- Blood testing (PEth): Provides insight into a person’s alcohol consumption in a roughly four-week period prior to testing.
- Nail alcohol testing (EtG): This is useful for understanding historical consumption and is a good alternative to blood or hair samples.
Hair and nails are generally best at revealing long-term use, while blood (PEth) and urine (EtG) are better placed to highlight recent consumption. For the Public Law Outline (PLO) process, assessments over 3 or 6-month periods are required, whereas shorter detection windows may be preferred for employment-related tests. If you are unsure about which methods are best for your case, our dedicated customer service team will be happy to advise you.
Translating results into reliable evidence
An alcohol report is only as useful as its interpretation and explanation. Overly simplified results, particularly in cases where cut-off levels or certificates of analysis have been used, can easily lead to disputed results.
Certis BioLabs ensures reports that stand up to scrutiny, providing:
- Clear and easy to digest court-admissible reports
- Contextual explanation of what results mean, as well as what they can and cannot show
- None of our findings are filtered out – we report all substances found, no matter how small
- Dedicated support from our experts for follow up questions
We don’t just provide data but clarity about what the data means and why it matters.
Our interpretation is complemented with information collected from the client about their self-declared use, as well as other relevant information, such as hair colour, pregnancy, medication use and other factors that can impact results. Certis BioLabs works with solicitors and local authority teams at the instruction stage to ensure the chosen method answers the precise questions the court need answered. Having supported thousands of cases with drug and alcohol testing, we know how high the stakes are for individuals being tested.
The importance of high-quality sample collection
Sample collection remains a frequent source of delay in family cases when not performed to forensic standards.
Certis BioLabs offers nationwide professional sample collection, ensuring:
- Full forensic chain of custody
- Convenient appointments, including home visits or appointments at one of our nationwide walk-in centres
- Bespoke handling of each case, ensuring clients are treated with dignity and respect
- Consistent, legally defensible processes to ensure evidence is reliable and court admissible
- 3-day turnaround once the sample is received
Reliable evidence supports better outcomes
When it comes to alcohol testing, Certis BioLabs helps eliminate the guess work. Our focus is on clarity, safeguarding, and trust, providing results that meet the highest standards of accuracy and care.
Need an alcohol test?
Contact us now on 01235 633040 or email testing@certis-biolabs.co.uk to discuss how we can support your testing needs.