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Marie Law, Head of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the many benefits of oral fluid drug testing for child welfare and protection matters
Drug testing plays a crucial role in safeguarding children and informing court decisions. Whether used in private law cases – such as custody disputes – or during child protection proceedings, reliable drug testing can help establish patterns of substance use, monitor abstinence, and support safeguarding measures.
Legal professionals and social workers often rely on ‘wide-window’ (long-term) drug testing methods, such as hair and nail analysis, to assess a person’s historical drug use over several months. However, these methods cannot detect very recent consumption, which can be critical for assessing immediate risks to children.
This is where oral fluid (saliva) drug testing comes into its own.
Oral fluid (saliva) drug testing is classified as a ‘narrow-window’ (short-term) testing method, meaning it can be used to detect very recent drug use (up to 48 hours after drugs were first consumed).
During an oral fluid test, a sample of saliva is collected using an absorbent swab. The swab is then placed inside a screening device, providing results within minutes.
If drugs are detected, further analysis is carried out at our UKAS 17025-accredited laboratory to confirm the results.
The many benefits of oral fluid drug testing include:
While oral fluid drug testing is highly effective for detecting recent drug use, it does not provide insight into a person’s long-term substance use.
Where a holistic picture is needed, oral fluid testing therefore acts as the perfect complement to hair and/or nail drug tests.
Legal clients can get an AlphaBiolabs oral fluid test for half price (£49) until 30 June 2025. Simply quote OF49 when placing an order for a hair or nail drug test.* For more information, contact our New Enquiry team on 0333 600 1300 / testing@alphabiolabs.com or complete our online quote form https://www.alphabiolabs.co.uk/legal-test-forms/
*Oral fluid test must be performed at the same time as hair/nail sample collection.
Marie Law is Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs. A highly-skilled and respected scientist with over 15 years’ experience in the field of forensics, Marie joined AlphaBiolabs in 2022 and oversees the company’s growing toxicology team. As Director of Toxicology, Marie’s day-to-day responsibilities include maintaining the highest quality testing standards for toxicology and further enhancing AlphaBiolabs’ drug and alcohol testing services for the legal sector, members of the public, and the workplace sector.
Drug testing plays a crucial role in safeguarding children and informing court decisions. Whether used in private law cases – such as custody disputes – or during child protection proceedings, reliable drug testing can help establish patterns of substance use, monitor abstinence, and support safeguarding measures.
Legal professionals and social workers often rely on ‘wide-window’ (long-term) drug testing methods, such as hair and nail analysis, to assess a person’s historical drug use over several months. However, these methods cannot detect very recent consumption, which can be critical for assessing immediate risks to children.
This is where oral fluid (saliva) drug testing comes into its own.
Oral fluid (saliva) drug testing is classified as a ‘narrow-window’ (short-term) testing method, meaning it can be used to detect very recent drug use (up to 48 hours after drugs were first consumed).
During an oral fluid test, a sample of saliva is collected using an absorbent swab. The swab is then placed inside a screening device, providing results within minutes.
If drugs are detected, further analysis is carried out at our UKAS 17025-accredited laboratory to confirm the results.
The many benefits of oral fluid drug testing include:
While oral fluid drug testing is highly effective for detecting recent drug use, it does not provide insight into a person’s long-term substance use.
Where a holistic picture is needed, oral fluid testing therefore acts as the perfect complement to hair and/or nail drug tests.
Legal clients can get an AlphaBiolabs oral fluid test for half price (£49) until 30 June 2025. Simply quote OF49 when placing an order for a hair or nail drug test.* For more information, contact our New Enquiry team on 0333 600 1300 / testing@alphabiolabs.com or complete our online quote form https://www.alphabiolabs.co.uk/legal-test-forms/
*Oral fluid test must be performed at the same time as hair/nail sample collection.
Marie Law, Head of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, discusses the many benefits of oral fluid drug testing for child welfare and protection matters
Far-ranging month for the Chair of the Bar
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Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the most recent data on alcohol misuse in the UK, and the implications for alcohol testing in family proceedings
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Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
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Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC
Review by Daniel Barnett
Chair of the Bar reports back
