The Iowa Alliance for Drug Endangered Children defines drug endangered children as children who are at risk of suffering physical harm or neglect as a result of illegal drug use, possession, manufacturing, cultivation or distribution.

They may also be children whose caretakers' substance misuse interferes with his or her ability to parent and provide a safe and nurturing environment.

Iowa's drug endangered children efforts are a coordinated response to the impact of parental/caregiver substance abuse on Iowa children, who are often found to be living in deplorable conditions; neglected and suffering.  Iowa professionals are coming together as teams to provide immediate intervention and follow-up care for these children.  
 
The Iowa Drug Endangered Children web site 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.