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National conference addresses needs of drug endangered children

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Substance abuse by caregivers in the home has become a huge problem for thousands of children living in West Virginia, according to state Child Protective Services.

“Ninety percent, that’s my unofficial survey, 90 percent of all child abuse has a substance abuse component to it,” said Andrea Darr, director of the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice, Tuesday.

Out of the 384,000 West Virginia children, Darr said the CPS receives over 33,000 reports every year. Of those, about 5,000 reports show substance abuse was involved.

To address the needs of these children, the National Drug Endangered Children’s 12th Annual Conference is being held at the Charleston Civic Center through Thursday.

Darr said an “endangered child” means a child’s parents or caregivers are using, manufacturing, cultivating or trafficking drugs that is effecting the child’s health and safety.

The conference is put together with 42 break-out sessions for over 350 child service providers, law enforcement, educators, substance abuse treatment providers, nurses and other professionals from 24 states. The training will allow participants to better protect children from the effects of their parent’s drug or alcohol abuse.

One way local and state officials are tackling the problem is through the Handle With Care program. Darr said law enforcement officers are being asked to send a confidential notice to schools about a child who is experiencing trauma in the home.

“If a school gets a ‘Handle With Care,’ they know this child has been on the scene in the last 24 hours of crime, violence or abuse and they (teachers) might exhibit behavioral, academic or emotional problems,” said Darr.

After all, Darr said modeling a parent’s behavior is the norm. That’s why she said the conference addresses early intervention.

“If that’s all you know, you would think that’s normal and you would think every other kid lives in it whether it’s substance abuse, whether it’s sexual abuse, whether it’s physical abuse — it doesn’t matter what it is,” she said. “If it’s in your home and it’s normal to you, you don’t question it that much.”

The conference is hosted by the United States Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of West Virginia, the West Virginia Center for Children’s Justice and the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children.





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