Why ongoing abstinence monitoring can be important in the modern family law setting
By Leigh Thomas – Managing Director
The current landscape
We understand the complex needs both within the legal process of a family law case, as well as the inevitable individual nuances that accompany them. Over the past thirteen years, we have seen a number of changes in drug and alcohol testing that have ultimately led to better outcomes for those affected or involved within this process. Whether that is through increased regulation in the UK, therefore driving better testing and accuracy, or innovations leading to better testing methods and applications.
In 2023, the President of the Family Division within Courts and Tribunals Judiciary relaunched the Public Law Outline (PLO), providing a template for case management of proceedings with a view to reducing delays and bringing cases to court within the statutory 26 weeks. The focus was on identifying ways of reducing the number of hearings, where possible, and making every hearing count.
Change is very often the mother of innovation and the ability to support these changes in the relaunch of the PLO is a key driver of product innovation in our field. One such innovation is DrugPatch – a non-invasive method of monitoring abstinence from a recognised panel of drugs.
DrugPatch is discreet, applied to the upper arm and worn for up to 10 days at a time. It is tamper proof and monitors sweat for the use of drugs, only allowing small molecules such as water vapour to pass through its membrane, while drug molecules are collected on the absorbent pad. The pad is then sent to the laboratory to be analysed and a positive or negative result is recorded.
DrugPatch is highly sensitive and detects for the most commonly used drugs, as well as other substance groups (you can find the full drug detection list here.
The DrugPatch programme can support early proceedings within the PLO
The patch provides real time monitoring of drug use for a period of expected abstinence. A single patch covers 10 days and is usually implemented as part of a 30, 60 or 90 day assessment programme. It can be used as a standalone initiative or as a forward plan alongside traditional methods such as hair drug testing.
Being able to demonstrate abstinence early and over a sustained assessment period can help practitioners to build their case on real time data. This is important and in line with PLO guidance for a decision to be made early in proceedings and within the targeted 26-week timeframe.
Used in conjunction with alcohol monitoring technology such as SCRAM transdermal bracelets or alcohol breath monitors, a detailed picture of drug and alcohol usage and abstinence can be built.
DrugPatch has been used in the USA for over 30 years to help prisoners with addiction issues and has resulted in healthier, happier individuals who have rebuilt their families. Closer to home, a recent UK poll of the general public resulted in huge support for the use of DrugPatch in monitoring early release prisoners, highlighting the desire for this type of technology.
Accessing a Drug Patch programme
A Lextox dedicated client manager is ready and waiting to help you create a DrugPatch programme that gives your case the support it needs. Patch fitting, collection and removal are all a part of the hassle-free service, so you don’t need to worry about making additional arrangements. From enquiry to results delivery, your client manager will be on hand to advise and support at every stage.
To learn more about DrugPatch, or book a programme and fitting, get in touch here.
Published 01/11/2024. All information correct at time of publication.