Launch of new drug and alcohol testing guides to support childcare cases
Family lawyers and social workers whose clients require drug and alcohol testing services can now access free client care guides from Cansford Laboratories which help explain the test process, providing support for their clients and ultimately helping to keep cases on track.
Client and service user concerns
Cansford Laboratories has developed five free ‘first of their kind’ guides in response to feedback from family lawyers and social workers that some people feel anxious about the tests and are put off attending collection appointments. The guides aim to explain the drug and alcohol testing process to alleviate potential concerns, by clearly explaining each step of the testing process.
The guides are available online as downloadable PDFs, with film and audio version, as follows:
- Having a Drug or Alcohol Test (general guide)
- Having a DNA Test
- Having a Hair, Nail or Saliva Test
- Having a PEth Blood Test
- Easy Read-Having a Drug and Alcohol test
Easy to access and free to download
Each guide simply and clearly lays out what the test is for, what happens during the test and what donors can expect after the test has been carried out. The Easy Read guide was designed for people who are disabled, have low level reading ability or comprehension.
Says Kim Bagley, Managing Director at Cansford Laboratories: “We work closely with our clients to help make the drug and alcohol testing process run as smoothly as possible. We see the enormous pressures family lawyers and social workers are under, so wanted to provide them with materials that could save time with caseloads.
“It might seem like a small thing, but imagine you have 10 cases or 10 service users, all needing 10 minutes to explain the collection and testing process. That’s a big chunk of your time gone, when instead, you could direct your client to read, watch or listen to the guides themselves and have their fears and questions answered by our lab, while you get on with other things.
“We also have family law practices in mind, as client care and clear communications is also an essential component of the Law Society’s Lexel Legal Practice Quality Mark, so we hope our drug and alcohol guides will also provide family law firms with additional support around these requirements.”
Cansford Laboratories provides testing services for individuals and organisations operating in family law, social care, criminal law and education, as well as workplace testing. Accredited to UKAS ISO 17025: 2017, the company’s founders first brought hair testing to the UK more than 25 years ago. Their original processes are used by laboratories across the globe and today, they continue to drive innovation from their lab in Cardiff.
The free client care guides can be accessed via https://cansfordlabs.co.uk/client-care-guides/