More parents being tested for drug and alcohol misuse, reveals Concateno

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) February 17, 2011 -- Figures released to coincide with the Understanding and Implementing the new Child Protection Guidelines conference today

Concateno, Europe’s most experienced drug and alcohol testing provider, has issued its 2010 child protection drug and alcohol testing statistics, regarding parental substance misuse.

The figures show that Concateno analysed 11,500 samples across the UK for child protection purposes during 2010. In Scotland, only 15 tests were undertaken. This compares to 10,000 tests which were collected in the UK during 2009 with just 29 being carried out as part of Scottish child protection case work.

Concateno has released these new figures as members of Scottish Government and child protection services meet at the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel today (Tuesday, 18 January 2011) at a one-day conference designed to discuss and understand the new National Child Protection Guidance.

According to Concateno, more must now be done in Scotland to use hair testing in child protection cases where it has a role to play in detecting substance misuse. According to the Millennium Cohort Study,1parental drug abuse is more prevalent in Scotland than in England and Wales, with 11 percent of fathers and nearly six percent of mothers in Scotland found to have taken drugs during 2009, as compared to 9.2 percent and 4.7 percent in England, and 9.2 percent and 3.5 percent in Wales.

In Scotland one in every 264 newborns suffers withdrawal symptoms as a result of their mother’s drug abuse2. Concateno says that collecting parental samples would significantly aid solicitors and social workers in these circumstances.

Commenting on the figures, Kevina Murray from Concateno's specialist child protection division, said: “Our latest child protection sample figures clearly demonstrate a need for more parental hair tests to be carried out in child case work in Scotland. This type of testing enables social workers to make informed decisions on the protection, health and welfare of children affected by parental drug and alcohol abuse and recent high-profile instances such as the Brandon Muir case prove how vital these tests could be.

She added: “We believe much more can be done to standardise support services such as drug and alcohol testing across the UK and particularly in Scotland to help tackle the problem and ensure the safety of all at risk children.”

Last year, Concateno launched a campaign to raise awareness of the important role that hair testing for parental drug and alcohol misuse can play in child protection and child welfare case work in Scotland.

In a ‘Social Attitudes Survey’ conducted by the Scottish Government, most people surveyed believed that the state should respond to parental heroin misuse with policies which enable children to remain with or return to their parents in the long term. Of those surveyed, almost two thirds (64 percent) suggested temporary foster care as the ideal solution with 20 percent preferring to keep the child at home while the family receives support. There was little public support for children being removed permanently from the family home.

Ends

1.Alice Sullivan and Shirley Dex (Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute of Education, University of London), ‘Part 29, Table 10.18 and Table 10.17’ Millennium Cohort Study Sweep 3 Scotland Report, (published online December 15 2009), http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/12/08092310/29 (accessed January 18 2011)

2. Shelly Matheson and Gordon Tait, ‘Hooked at Birth’, The Scottish Sun (published online August 17 2009) (accessed January 18 2011)

For more information regarding Concateno, please contact:

Carrie Lowe or Lyndsay Scanlan

Telephone: +44 (0)1962 893 893

Mobile: +44 (0)7554 014 188

Email: carrie.lowe@concateno.com/lyndsay.scanlan@concateno.com

Concateno – global drug testing services

Informed testing for informed decisions, when it matters most

Concateno (www.concateno.com) brings together Europe’s strongest and most experienced drug and alcohol testing organisations and over 60 years of collected expertise. It offers an unparalleled breadth of advisory services and testing capabilities – spanning laboratory, point of care tests and all sample types for any biological specimen, including urine, oral fluids, hair and sweat.

Concateno’s 400 employees perform and deliver more than 10 million tests annually, supported by a global network of 600 sample collection officers, trained in-house in chain-of-custody procedures. Together, they conduct testing for approximately 8,500 clients in 130 countries around the world across all industries, healthcare and government bodies.

Concateno’s dedicated divisions specialise in: Child Protection, Clinical Diagnostics, Criminal Justice, Employee Services, Healthcare and Maritime.

For more information please visit http://www.concateno.com/

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