This year the annual
Iowa Drug Endangered Children Conference was held in Des Moines on April 4th. Drug
Endangered Children (DEC) are part of a very large and growing population of
children whose lives have been seriously and negatively impacted by parental or
caregiver drug abuse. Hundreds of children across Iowa go unnoticed and do not
receive the necessary intervention and care to heal from these abusive
environments.
The purpose of this
conference was to provide best practices in identifying and caring for drug
endangered children. This conference was
intended for professionals who work with drug endangered children and their
families including those from law enforcement, human services, prosecution,
healthcare, mental health, substance abuse treatment and prevention, child
development, education, and foster parents. At the completion of this program
the participants should be able to list the healing stages for children from
addicted families and describe the current drug trends in Iowa. The breakout sessions offered a
variety of options for additional education and enhanced participants’
understanding of the benefits of utilizing a Crisis Child Care/ Crisis Nursery
program for Drug Endangered Children; differences between cannabis-based
medicine and “medical marijuana”, and why they’re important; new localized
strategies to protect our children from heroin and opioid use and addiction; the
importance of experiential learning as a therapeutic tool; and the role of MDTs
in the criminal prosecution of child abuse.
The Van Buren County
SAFE Coalition sent two Parents as Teachers staff members to the conference
this year. For more information on the Iowa
DEC Conference or local prevention work being done by the SAFE Coalition please
contact the coalition at 319-293-6412 or info@vbsafecoalition.com
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