DRUG ENDANGERED CHILDREN
Iowa's drug endangered children efforts are a coordinated response to the impact of parental substance abuse on Iowa children, who are often found to be living in deplorable conditions, neglected beyond imagination, and suffering at the hands of parents who use drugs. Iowa professionals are coming together as teams to provide immediate intervention and follow-up care for these children.
It's all about children -- and the impact of drugs
The reasons for having an Iowa Drug Endangered Program are compelling, and the challenges that lie ahead are enormous. Iowa law enforcement officers continue to report finding children in locations where illegal drugs are being used, manufactured or trafficked and, in partnership with child protective workers, they remove these children from the socially and environmentally toxic environment of drug activity. DHS workers and County Attorneys file Child In Need of Assistance (CINA) petitions and, when a child has been located at a met lab, make referrals to hospitals that use the National DEC Medical Protocol. DEC is all about Iowa's children and rescuing them when they are victimized by parental drug use and drug manufacturing.
HIGHLIGHTS
- You can reach Richard Early, the statewide DEC Coordinator at 515-281-5428 or richard.early@iowa.gov.
- Iowa DEC Survey Results
- Save The Date! The 2008 National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children Conference will be held October 6-8 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
- Drug Endangered Children Community Awareness Program: Drugs Hurt Kids
- Notes from the 4th Annual Drug Endangered Children Conference. Thanks to Kristin Huisenga from the Clinton DEC Team for sharing her notes and thoughts.
Iowa Drug Endangered Children website reflects an advocacy community in Iowa driven by the need to stand up for Iowa children endangered by their parents or caregivers illicit drug use. The Iowa DEC community, like similar collaborative efforts in other states, is a committed group of professionals from multiple disciplines dedicated to finding solutions to the problems children face as the result of living with substance abusing parents, and to build a better world for these children. Updated Thursday, April 10, 2008.
The Iowa DEC Alliance is an affiliate of the National DEC Alliance, whose dedicated professionals nationwide seek positive intervention for children affected by drugs. Visit the National Alliance at its new website at www.nationaldec.org.
