FOI Request - Children Drug and Alcohol Testing Nov 24

Request 101003669648

Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information regarding child protection in the UK.

Please provide answers on the attached and accompanying spreadsheet.

1.      Please could you supply the name, email address and telephone number of the commissioner with responsibility for children in need of help and/or protection.

For questions 2-6 inclusive, please supply the following information as a total at the end of the year for the financial years 2021/22 – 2024/25 (year to date).

For questions 2-6 inclusive, please supply the following information specific to those cases where drug and/or alcohol misuse is a factor.

2.      Please advise on the number of children identified as children in need.

3.      Please advise on the number of children who were subject to Section 47 enquiries.

4.      Please advise on the number of children who were subject to child protection conferences.

5.      Please advise on the number of children who were the subject of a child protection plan.

6.      Please advise on the number of children whose cases were taken to court proceedings concluding in care/placement/adoption orders.

7.      Please advise as to which of the above stages may use drug and alcohol testing as evidence and reasons as to why it is/isn’t used.

8.      For each financial year 2023/24 and 2024/25, how many hair drug and alcohol tests were conducted?

9.      In a situation where hair drug/alcohol testing is used as evidence, do you have a preferred provider for this service? If not, please provide a list of providers used in these cases and the total expenditure with each provider for financial years 2023/24 and 2024/25.