"Youths come to us wanting to know what we propose to do about a society that hurts so many of them."
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1936

The Texas Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (TADEC) was founded in 2004 to protect children living in volatile drug environments. Children of alcoholics and children living in other drug surroundings are often victims of abuse, neglect and family violence. They are at-risk for severe medical complications, and can be plagued by long-term mental health issues unless they receive support and treatment to overcome these risk factors.

The Council has been awarded a Criminal Justice Act (CJA) grant to coordinate statewide training and consultation activities in 2008. The grant, which is subcontracted by the Texas Center for the Judiciary, supports the following services: drug endangered children regional training institutes for multi-disciplinary professionals in Houston, El Paso, San Antonio, Dallas, and Lufkin; protocol updates and stakeholder trainings; faculty "train the trainer" sessions; Children's Program Kit trainings; technical support and case consultation services; the TADEC web site; and an on-line newsletter.

TADEC provides training and consultation to Texas communities interested in creating their own local drug endangered children programs. Additionally, they have developed inter-agency protocols that outline the appropriate process for handling children found in these dangerous environments. These protocols make everyone's jobs more efficient, cut out the redundancy between different agencies, and more importantly, create a safety net to protect our children.

Groups participating in local Drug Endangered Children (DEC) Alliances include law enforcement agencies, Child Protective Services, other child advocates, district attorneys, medical and mental health professionals, and substance abuse prevention and treatment professionals. Alliance members sign a Memorandum of Understanding, vowing to rescue, defend, shelter and support innocent children who suffer collateral damage because of drug abusing parents or caregivers. Under these agreements, law enforcement officials notify CPS and other designated child advocates of planned raids. If children are involved, social workers take care of them at the scene, or locate those who may be at school or other places. They arrange for decontamination of the children and ensure immediate medical and psychological care, as well as longer-term services.

Dallas County has an existing Drug Endangered Children Alliance. For more information, contact Justin Mazzeo at 214/522-4999 x256, or jmazzeo@gdcada.org. Visit TADEC online at www.texasdec.org.