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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Hannah Summers

Children taken away from parents due to misreporting of drug tests, say experts

Logan Green Paul Hunter Cobb England Wales
A woman holding her son
Life-changing decisions about whether a child should be placed in care can hinge on hair-strand tests. Photograph: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images

Children are at risk of being wrongly removed from their parents’ care by the family courts because drug tests are being misinterpreted, experts have warned.

Life-changing decisions about whether a child should be placed in the care of a local authority can sometimes hinge on the outcome of hair-strand tests, designed to show whether a parent has consumed drugs or excessive alcohol.

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