News & Insights

Drug and alcohol testing can be carried out using different methods, each serving a specific purpose. Understanding the differences between testing options is important when choosing the most appropriate approach.

Drug and alcohol testing can be an important part of the evidence in safeguarding and family law matters, but it is often misunderstood. Results are sometimes treated as though they provide straightforward answers to difficult questions, when the reality is usually more nuanced.

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.

For legal professionals practising across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes, 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. 

Certis BioLabs was proud to sponsor the drinks reception at the Family Law Awards 2025, nicknamed the “Oscars of Family Law”, held at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London on 19th November.