Britain’s first specialist drug and alcohol court opens today in a bid to combat addiction problems and keep families together.

The Family Drug and Alcohol Court will hear family cases, such as child care applications, from three London councils.

A specialist judge will work with addiction specialists and social workers to fast-track addict parents into a rigorous treatment programme.

It could order parents to attend one-to-one counselling or group sessions to avoid having their children taken into care.

The judge will be able to make same-day referrals, a spokesman said.

The court will sit at Inner London Family Proceedings Court in Wells Street, Fitzrovia, and cover Westminster, Camden and Islington boroughs.

The groundbreaking project is based on schemes in the United States, where early findings suggest they have helped more children in care to return home because their parents have successfully taken part in efforts to combat their substance abuse.

The three-year pilot will cost more than £1.3 million, with just under £900,000 coming from central Government and the rest from the three boroughs.

Two thirds of all care proceedings initiated by the three boroughs are because of parental substance misuse. The court will not deal with criminal cases.

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