"We must hear the voices of our children."

Protecting Iowa's children has been a primary goal of Iowa communities as disturbing 
trends have 
emerged 
regarding the number of Iowa children affected by abuse and neglect.  As data collected shows ever increasing numbers of children exposed to the dangers of illicit substances, children's advocacy groups have organized educational campaigns and advocated for a stronger community response to more effectively address the issue of child abuse in Iowa.

The Drug Endangered Children Program, in Iowa and nationally, strives to change the course of what a child lives and learns as the result of living with drug-using parents.  These children faces numerous psycho-social risks including:

• Increased violent behavior towards children
• Severe Neglect (caregivers not present, high or "crashed")
• Increased Sexual Abuse
• Emotional Abuse & Chaos
• Exposure to Unsafe Conditions (toxins in easy reach, exposure to ingredients/chemicals of the cook)

The DEC program aims to change the course and improve the lives of these children by steering them away from the drug environment and into permanent placements with caring adults that are healthy.  The goal is to prevent these children fom learning criminal and addictive behaviors and from becoming the next generation of substance abusers and drug manufacturers.

Resources

• Dr. Kiti Freier, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology at Loma Linda University and member of the National DEC Alliance Training team teaches that all children need adults in their lives who care about them.  Refer to Dr. Freier's National DEC Alliance - Developmental Evaluation Suggested Guidelines

• View the social and psychological issues prevalent in Drug Endangered Children Cases -- From the March "Responding to Iowa's Drug Endangered Children" Conference: Presentation of Dr. Kiti Freier.

• For an excellent resource on how children experience parental substance abuse, their struggles and intervention strategies, read Children of Substance Abusers: The Basics, by Judy Rosenbluth, MPH, CHES, Marketing and Training Manager, Alcoholics Foundation in New York.  Link to their website at www.coaf.org. 

• Prevent Child Abuse Iowa, an organization dedicated to ending child abuse in Iowa, provides important data analysis on a variety of child abuse issues.  For information related to the rapid growth in child abuse cases, see reports on the PCAI website: http://www.pcaiowa.org/

• Link to DHS web page with child abuse data.