Family Drug and Alcohol Court - Information for professionals

Families have a choice whether to engage through the FDAC, if they do this will be ordered by the courts. A family may choose to go through the normal care proceedings route. They might do this for any number of reasons, but they should be advised that families with a willingness to change are likely to achieve better outcomes via FDAC.

Like any care proceedings, there is still a potential for the family to lose the permanent care of their children, but the FDAC process has been set up to encourage success and to be as supportive as possible.

Whilst they must take the process seriously, as they would do for normal care proceedings, families need not be fearful that the FDAC is there to trap or trick them in any way.
Once a family is informed about FDAC they do not have to make a decision immediately. They will be asked at the first hearing if they want to undertake the initial FDAC assessment; it begins immediately if they do.

The family will be encouraged to talk to their solicitor and the FDAC team if they have any doubts or questions over the process. Between the first and second hearing they will take part in an assessment and an Intervention Planning Meeting where the FDAC Intervention Team will help the parties agree a plan which is given the court’s authority at the second Court hearing (Case Management Hearing (CMH)), usually at the fourth week in proceedings.

After the second hearing, the ‘trial for change’ officially begins and the subsequent fortnightly non-lawyer hearings will be used to provide encouragement, review progress, review the Intervention Plan, problem solve any difficulties that arise, and make decisions in order to reach permanency as quickly as possible for the child.