Drug Endangered Children
Meet Sara.
She was just 19-months old and one of ten children law enforcement
officers discovered early one morning when they served a search warrant on
a home. Officers found Sara in filthy clothes, lying on the floor next to
a half-pound of crank.
This is the home Sara was rescued from.
It had no electricity. No gas. No running water. Rotten
food covered the counter s
and filled the refrigerator.
A propane tank sat next to a wood stove pipe - with no firewall
protection.
Children like Sara are perhaps the most
heart-wrenching victims of Meth abuse and manufacturing. They are
sometimes found in homes and other places where Meth and other illegal
substances are produced.
Children who live in or visit such
clandestine labs face a wide range of health and safety risks, including
exposure to toxic chemicals, drugs, contaminated food, fires and
explosions. They are also at high risk for abuse and neglect, as
well as exposure to firearms and violence.
Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Teams are
being developed around South Dakota to coordinate the work of law
enforcement, medical services and child protection workers to make sure
that children like Sara receive the appropriate attention and care.
For more information on what a DEC Team does to help these young victims,
please review the DEC Protocol.
Learn how to set up a DEC Team in ten easy steps. And if your community is interested in forming a DEC Team, contact
MAPP-SD
for information.
In dozens of communities around the
state, DEC teams will be able to respond whenever children are thought to
be in a Meth lab situation. While each part of the team has a
specific role to play - whether it is collecting and preserving evidence,
assessing a child's physical and mental health or ensuring safe care for
the youngster - they work together with one goal in mind: Protecting the
youngest victims, like Sara. |
