Emily nearly lost access to her baby because of a hair strand test. Experts fear she's not alone

When social workers asked a mother to submit a sample of hair for a drugs test, she thought it would prove she was clean and sober.

But it turned out to be the start of a legal battle to regain custody of her daughter.

Emily - not her real name - was a former ketamine user, whose habit had resulted in her baby daughter being taken into care at the end of 2022.

In the six months since then, she had made a determined effort to put her substance abuse behind her. With the help of a drugs charity, Emily had attended courses and taken urine tests about twice a week to prove that she was no longer using.

However, the result of the hair strand test came as a complete shock.

It stated that high levels of ketamine had been recorded, and there was evidence of active drug use over the six months up to June 2023.

As a result, the court refused Emily's request to be reunited with her daughter.

Hair strand tests are widely used in Family Court cases where parents are suspected of - or have a history of - drug or alcohol abuse. They can help judges make life-changing decisions, deciding whether it is safe for children to live with their parents.