Concateno Announces Seminar Exploring Role Of Drug Testing In Family Law Proceedings, Glasgow, Scotland

Main Category: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs
Also Included In: Medical Malpractice / Litigation
Article Date: 31 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Next month, a free seminar will provide those working in child protection and family law with insights as to how hair testing parents for illicit substance and alcohol use can be used to support their work.

Taking place on Tuesday, 11th November, 2pm-4.30pm at Trades Hall, Glasgow, the event is the latest in a series of non-commercial CPD seminars held by TrichoTech, a Concateno group company and Europe's largest hair testing laboratory, and TV Edwards LLP Solicitors.

Analysis of hair testing results can provide diagnostic evidence of the long term extent of drug and alcohol use. The practice is increasingly used in child residence and child protection cases where there is a suspicion of parental substance use.

The seminar provides practical advice and case studies for those looking to learn more about the application of hair testing, including sheriffs, solicitors, social workers and child protection professionals. It offers an overview of how hair testing works and describes the technical strengths and - equally importantly - the limitations of drug testing. The seminar also covers the practicalities of arranging tests and their use in court.

"Hair testing is used as a matter of course in child care proceedings in England and Wales where substance misuse is an issue. Awareness and uptake appears to be comparatively limited in Scotland. However, sources of objective evidence are vital in cases where the welfare of the child is the main consideration, and this seminar aims to demonstrate how hair testing could play a valuable role in the Scottish courts," said Alison Leivesley, Partner at TV Edwards LLP Solicitors.

"Drugs in an individual's bloodstream leave traces in each hair as it grows, which means that analysis of a length of hair can profile drug use going back months, rather than the days or hours that urine or oral fluid samples provide," said Dr Caroline Jones, Senior Reporting Scientist, Concateno. "Hair testing is therefore able to reveal long term patterns of abstinence or use, which in child protection cases is far more useful when ensuring that the right decisions are made for the child and the parents or guardians involved."

Attendance of the seminar allows delegates to claim two CPD points, demonstrating ongoing professional development.

To book attendance or for more information, please contact Kevina Murray at TrichoTech on 029 2054 0542 or email kevinamurray@trichotech.com

An introduction to Concateno

In just more than a year, Concateno has brought together the leading drug and alcohol testing organisations in Europe to form a global first in the field: a service provider with the facilities and expertise to genuinely deliver test programmes to meet any requirement - from point-of-care instant tests, through to state-of-the-art laboratory analysis for any biological specimen including urine, oral fluids, hair and sweat.

Concateno's 300 staff support more than 8,000 customers globally, and the group performs approximately eight million tests annually. An integrated network of more than 500 sample collection officers, trained in-house in chain-of-custody procedures, supports clients around the world.

Committed to the highest levels of accreditation and quality assurance, Concateno works actively within the industry to improve existing best practice. This includes ISO 17025 (independently audited by UKAS), ISO9001:2000, Link-Up, and ISO13485:2003. In addition, the company is subject to a range of external and internal quality assurance programmes.

Our strategy

Concateno's goal is to be the top provider of drug and alcohol testing services in the world, providing the best expertise and testing resources in the field. With our own best-in-class products and facilities that can supply across the whole range of test requirements, our strategy is driven by customer need rather than product benefit.

Concateno has committed significant investment to research and development. Our joint development agreement with Philips (the leading multinational healthcare and electronics manufacturer) to develop a new oral fluids system is an example of this commitment.

Excellent pedigree

Concateno is built upon the consolidation of Europe's strongest and most expert drug testing companies:

Cozart: long-established expertise in oral fluid instant testing (including its pioneering Rapiscan® and DDS® reader devices) and the manufacture of laboratory Reagents and products - largely through its wholly-owned subsidiary Spinreact, headquartered in Spain.

Medscreen: Europe's most experienced workplace testing company with a 20 year track record in providing legally defensible urine testing to employees and the UK government.

Altrix Healthcare: largest provider of oral fluids drugs of abuse laboratory testing to the UK healthcare market. Complemented with a blood-borne virus testing service and range of support services focused on client treatment needs.

TrichoTech: Europe's largest hair testing laboratory with unrivalled knowledge and expertise.

Euromed: supplies a comprehensive range of point-of-collection testing devices with a proven track record on quality assurance and technical support, underscored by its long-standing contract with HM Prison Service.

http://www.concateno.com

About TV Edwards LLP

Established in 1929. TV Edwards LLP provides specialist legal services to our clients in the East End and further afield. Their range of services include:

Family, housing, community care and mental health - comprising a large and well-established family department with accredited experts.

Crime - TV Edwards LLP are well known for their leading criminal work. Their experienced team offers an emergency service 24 hours a day for every day of the year.

Personal injury - Achieving excellent results and able to deal with cases on a no win no fee basis. All cases are handled by specialist solicitors who are members of the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers.

Human rights and public law - With specialists in actions against the police, prison law, judicial reviews, inquests and death in custody cases.

TV Edwards LLP