This brief publication of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) provides guidance for working with medical professionals in situations where children are endangered by drugs.
This publication of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (DEC) provides guidance for working with medical professionals in situations where children are endangered by drugs. Medical professionals, such as pediatricians, ER personnel, general physicians, and nurses, all play an important role in helping drug endangered children. Medical professionals can identify drug endangered children; treat children and families; and help gather information that may be helpful to other disciplines. Some medical professionals, such as Child Abuse Pediatricians and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE), are specialized medical professionals with experience and training in areas such as child abuse and neglect and child sexual abuse/assault. They often work closely with law enforcement and child welfare to ensure the child is safely examined and interviewed in a child-friendly environment in order to determine next steps in helping the child and the family. Medical professionals may be able to provide other professionals: information and evidence about child abuse and neglect; information on how the child(ren) and family acted and interacted; statements made by family and the child(ren); ongoing or new medical concerns; results from drug tests, including through urine, hair follicle, meconium, and fingernails. In the DEC Approach, it is beneficial for professionals to share evidence and information with medical professionals regarding children and their living environment. With this additional information, medical professionals can then decide, for example, whether to test for infectious diseases because of needle exposure, whether to test for drugs in the child’s system because drugs were found in the house and because of the child’s behavior, and whether to look for further signs of abuse and neglect. Without this shared information, medical professionals may not have reason to look for or treat these things.