Moderator: Jackie L. Steele, Jr., JD, Commonwealth Attorney, Kentucky 27th Judicial Circuit, and Member, Operation UNITE Board of Directors

CE Certified By: AAFP,ANCC,APA,GA Bar,GA POST,NASW

Drug-endangered children are the silent victims of the opioid crisis. This workshop will equip the professionals who interact with children on the scenes of drug-related crimes and who support them during the aftermath.

A national expert in drug-endangered children will set the stage with an overview of how the Rx drug abuse and heroin epidemic is impacting children and families. Based on her experience working with communities across the country, she will recommend collaborative, multidisciplinary response strategies for law enforcement. Incorporating a multifaceted team response can address suspected abuse or neglect that has occurred, as well as address potential future abuse. In fact, the response to the child can be as important as the enforcement action itself.

From Plymouth County, Massachusetts, representatives of the District Attorney’s Office will demonstrate a trauma-informed approach for law enforcement and schools to help drug-endangered children. Previously, the office collaborated with the Trauma and Policy Learning Initiative at Harvard Law School to develop a trauma-informed approach for law enforcement and school systems to handle children exposed to violence. The office is now using the same approach to serve children exposed to family drug use, overdoses and drug-seeking behavior. Presenters will explore the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Study as it relates to exposure to drugs. It is necessary for police officers to communicate effectively with school personnel, and schools need to have trauma-informed staff and policies to provide the appropriate response.

UPON COMPLETION OF THIS COURSE, PARTICIPANTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
- Describe the national concern created when children are exposed to illicit drug use, manufacturing, distribution and cultivation and the non-medical use of Rx drugs.
- Explain the importance of collaboration and a multidisciplinary response to children identified in drug environments.
- Explain the basic premises of the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.
- Design their own process to identify drug-endangered children.
- Plan the communication process between police and schools to help drug-endangered children.