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

Emily nearly lost access to her baby because of a hair strand test. Experts fear she's not aloneJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSanchia Berg,Anna MeiselandMary O'ReillyGetty ImagesFile photo showing strands of hair which can be used for drug testingWhen 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.The science of hair strand testing is sound, but there are growing concerns over the way tests are presented and interpreted.Results can be affected by hair type, by the use of hair treatments or dyes, and by more individual factors, like the rate of hair growth and the environment you are living in. Critics say the test reports don't fully consider these factors.For many years, reporting a case like Emily's was almost impossible, because of privacy rules governing Family Court proceedings. However, the Family Court has recently opened up its workings to journalists,...