What is a Drug Endangered Child?
Drug endangered children (DEC) are those children who suffer physical or psychological harm or neglect resulting from exposure to illegal drugs or persons under the influence of illegal drugs.These children are also exposed to dangerous environments where drugs are being manufactured or where chemicals used to make drugs are accessible. These harms may include: injury from explosion, fire or exposure to toxic chemicals found at clandestine lab sites; physical abuse; sexual abuse; medical neglect; and lack of basic care including failure to provide meals, sanitary and safe living conditions or schooling. Drug endangered children are part of a very large population of children whose lives have been seriously and negatively impacted by dangerous drugs.
The Florida Alliance for Drug Endangered Children advocates intervention on behalf of these children and urges communities to build collaborative, effective teams to provide coordinated services and support for these child victims. These teams include first responders, child protective services, law enforcement, medical and mental health professionals, prosecutors and county attorneys, child advocates, substance abuse treatment providers, and other community leaders, as well as the general public.
The mission of the Florida DEC program is to identify and protect the children, and to identify, provide and improve services utilizing the criminal justice system, law enforcement, child welfare and other community agencies with the goal of improving outcomes for these children.
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