Family Drug and Alcohol Court

The story

Several true stories told as one: a young mother's journey through addiction, prison and recovery, and getting her children back.

The Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) works with parents whose drug and alcohol use has brought them before the family court, and it does this differently. Parents are referred by the court, supported by FDAC staff throughout their journey, and seen regularly by judges who look over their progress. FDAC helps people get their children back.

Our animation, commissioned by the Centre for Justice Innovation, is based on several true stories put into one. A young woman loses her children because of Class A addiction. She is in an abusive relationship, her parents have left, and she has had to be a mother figure to her younger siblings. She starts dealing, becomes addicted, goes to prison, and when she comes out she is rehabilitated through FDAC.

But it's calm, because after every storm, the sun shines.

From the film