National Assembly for Wales

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Regrets that there has been no Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) in Wales since November 2023.

2. Notes recommendation 35 in the Justice in Wales for the People of Wales report from October 2019 that Family Drug and Alcohol Courts should be established in Wales.

3. Acknowledges the recommendation in the Evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot report from March 2024 that plans to scale FDAC further in Wales should progress.

4. Welcomes the findings from the trial in Wales that:

a) parents were overwhelmingly positive about their experience of being involved in FDAC proceedings;

b) the number of parents misusing substances at the start of FDAC proceedings decreased from 83 per cent to 54 per cent; and

c) the number of children in the care of one or both of their parents more than doubled.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) deliver on the recommendation to progress with creating FDACs across Wales;

b) ensure that FDACs form a part of a strategy that helps keep children out of care; and

c) learn from the experience of the 13 specialist FDAC teams currently in operation, working in 18 courts and supporting families in 35 local authorities in England.

Justice in Wales for the People of Wales

Evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court in Wales pilot