2010 Workshops & Sessions

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Pre-conference Workshops:

1) Core DEC Training
Presented by Lori Moriarty and Peggy Scheuermann
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National DEC recently developed the Core DEC Training Curriculum, a comprehensive multi-disciplinary community awareness training tool designed to meet the needs of state alliances as they work to engage their local communities in the DEC effort. The intent of the Core DEC Training is to provide a basic understanding of broad DEC concepts and to explain the vital roles National DEC and State DEC Alliances play in encouraging local communities to adopt consistent response practices. It also addresses the complex issues associated with forming a sustained DEC response and promotes a collaborative model that aims for social change.

This three-hour workshop will highlight components of the Core DEC Training Program, including the History and Evolution of the DEC Movement, Children at Risk, Understanding and Responding to the Long-term Needs of Drug Endangered Children, Collaborative Mindset as the Ideal Solution, and National DEC and State DEC Alliances. It will conclude with a message of hope that empowers each of us to believe that together we can make a difference in the lives of drug endangered children.

2) Blooming in the Desert: Why Some Children Thrive Against All Odds
Presented by Jenny Gomez, MS, LPC, RPT and Pam Newton, MS, LCDC
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This workshop focuses on why some children thrive in the midst of extreme adversity. The work of Emmy Werner and other researchers will be presented as well as practical applications for service providers. Factors that foster resiliency will be discussed.

Session Objectives:
I. Increase awareness of resiliency theory.
II. Increase understanding of protective factors.
III. Help participants assess personal resilience.

Opening Remarks:
Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy is a comprehensive and balanced approach to addressing drug use and its consequences. It calls for incorporating prevention, treatment, recovery, and enforcement – all equally important components – in the effort to reduce the impact of drugs on children, families and communities. In this plenary session, White House Director of National Drug Control Policy Gil Kerlikowske will discuss the priorities within the 2010 Drug Control Strategy, specifically addressing the current drug trends, such as prescription drug abuse, the need for prevention, treatment, and recovery, and the importance of collaboration and coordination among all stakeholders to develop systemic approaches to protect drug endangered children.

Plenary Session:

Returning Home: War, Drugs, and Children
Presented by Lieutenant Colonel Barbara O’Reilly and Crystal Cullerton-Sen

When we think of a drug endangered child, several images flash through our minds: abuse, neglect, dangerous environments, exposure to trauma, and violence. When we think of that drug endangered child’s parent, our first impulse is often to picture a criminal who deserves punishment, rather than a person suffering the pain of addiction or the trauma of war. Persons reintegrating into work, community, and family life after deployment must negotiate unique challenges. Most individuals navigate this process smoothly with time and support, but others may experience more difficulties. In this “warm up” to the breakout session, the plenary speakers will discuss common challenges faced by military personnel and the implications of deployment and reintegration for children, particularly when children experience loss, as well as the effects of visible and invisible parental injuries, including substance abuse, on children.

Breakout Sessions:

A-01: Reintegration Adjustment Among Deployed Parents and Their Children  
Presented by Lieutenant Colonel Barbara O’Reilly and Crystal Cullerton-Sen
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Persons reintegrating into work, community, and family life after deployment must negotiate unique challenges. Most individuals navigate this process smoothly with time and support, but others may experience difficulties. In this session, Lieutenant Colonel Barbara O’Reilly, Chief of Deployment Cycle Support of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon at the Minnesota Army National Guard, will discuss common challenges faced by military personnel and describe some of the risks associated with increased prescription drug and alcohol use. She will also describe local and national efforts currently being offered to support military personnel and their families and discuss how many military families learn to thrive. Crystal Cullerton-Sen, clinical program manager at Ambit Network at the University of Minnesota, a member of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, will discuss the implications of deployment and reintegration for children. She will present data on what is known about children’s experiences of loss and witnessing of visible and invisible parental injuries, including substance abuse in the wake of deployment. Case examples and current research on family-related risk and resilience associated with the deployment process will be presented, with particular attention paid to discussing implications for providers working with children of substance-using families.

Session Objectives:
I. Increased awareness of risks associated with reintegration and the protective factors that support healthy, successful reintegration for military personnel and their families.
II. Increased awareness of the ways in which parental substance abuse and trauma among returning soldiers affects children.
III. Knowledge about current supports for military families that may help prevent or ameliorate the effects of parental substance abuse and mental health difficulties.
IV. Understanding of how deployment cycles, reintegration, and combat-related stress can affect parenting process, and how providers can support families to facilitate recovery.
V. Identification of children’s needs when exposed to direct and vicarious trauma.

A-02: Family Healing: Understanding and Helping Families Heal from the Disease of Addiction  
Presented by Jenny Gomez, MS, LPC, RPT
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Addiction is a family disease; therefore, the recovery process must involve family healing. This workshop will focus on the specific familial roles that are often adopted in families struggling with addiction and provide participants with clinical interventions for families to begin to heal.
Session Objectives:
I. Understand common characteristics of families struggling with addiction issues.
II. Become familiar with family roles in families of addiction.
III. Learn effective interventions for helping families recover from the disease of addiction.


A-03: Harnessing the Energy of the Team  
Presented by Chief Andrew Acord and Natalie Ridley Baerwaldt, MS, CPS
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The Dallas County Alliance for Drug Endangered Children serves as a pilot program for DEC alliances across Texas. This session will feature a panel led by the Dallas County DEC Alliance co-chairs, Chief Andy Acord of the Dallas Police Department, and Natalie Baerwaldt, Children’s Program Director at Nexus Recovery Center. Other panel members include Lieutenant Barbara Hobbs of the Dallas Police Department, and Martha Decker, Special Investigator with Child Protective Services. Panel members will discuss the development of the alliance, including overcoming challenges to collaboration; replicating successes; and developing innovative approaches to rescue, defend, shelter, and support drug endangered children in Dallas.

A-04: Developing a Coordinated Response to Drug Endangered Children in Indian Country  
Presented by Diane Payne
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Over the past several years, Ms. Payne has worked with a wide range of Tribes to address challenges to coordination between law enforcement, child protection, and medical and court personnel when Tribal children are endangered due to drug use by caregivers. This workshop will provide information gained from this work and her involvement with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Law Enforcement Services and federal (FBI, HIDTA, DEA) and state (DCI, State Patrol, etc.) agencies that address illegal drug activity in Tribal communities. The goal of the session is to enable the integration of those matters of child endangerment due to illegal drug activity into child protection teams and multi-disciplinary teams that are currently addressing child abuse in Tribal communities. This approach is more holistic than starting separate DEC teams for Tribes.

Session Objectives:
I. Learn how to integrate drug endangered children issues into existing multi-disciplinary teams mandated under federal law.
II. Learn about federal law enforcement protocols for responding to child endangerment situations in Indian Country.
III. Explore some of the strategies to address challenges regarding information sharing and evidence collection involved when both criminal and civil child abuse responses are required.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Opening Ceremony:
That’s Entertainment! A Rainbow Day’s Choir
Directed by Kathy Daley

Plenary:

The Efforts and Objectives of the Federal Interagency Drug Endangered Children Task Force
Mary Lou Leary, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs

The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy includes the creation of a Federal Interagency DEC Task Force. During this plenary session, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, Mary Lou Leary, will discuss the work of the Task Force, including Task Force objectives, structure, outreach, and timeline.

Endangered Children: Mobilizing Locally for a Global Response
Presented by James E. Copple, Strategic Applications International

The United States and each of the top twenty US-based foundations funding children’s issues have endorsed the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals, which challenge all of us to reduce child mortality. Endangered children are a global issue and require national responses that focus on prevention and rescue; therefore, our efforts at National DEC to rescue children from the dangers of drug abuse and violence are part of a global movement. We are advocates on behalf of drug endangered children and experts on specific strategies to prevent and rescue children living in harm’s way. It is work that demands attention and requires us to move beyond the silos we have created, because what we do on a local and state level has global impact. This session will focus on mobilization and how to build the bridge between your local effort and the global funders who can support your community and state efforts to rescue our children from the dangers of drug abuse.

The “Down the Road” Impacts of Incarceration on Children and Families: Strengthening Prevention Efforts for Your DEC Alliance
Presented by Carley Frohling and Roderick Miles
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What happens after a parent goes to jail or prison? Families left behind face significant challenges. Some studies show that, without intervention, children are 70% more likely to follow in their incarcerated parent’s footsteps. Join us to learn about the latest trends in corrections and the effects of these trends on children and families; hear about effective strategies that address these challenges; and review ways to incorporate strategies to strengthen the prevention efforts of your DEC alliance.

Session Objectives:
I. List three effects of incarceration on children and families.
II. Name two of the latest trends in incarceration in the U.S.
III. List one program that effectively works with children of incarcerated parents.
IV. Name two ways to use this information in your local program.


Breakout Sessions:

B-01: Partnerships, Policies, and Practices: A Collaborative Framework for Addressing the Complex Needs of Drug Endangered Children and Their Families - Part I
Presented by Linda Carpenter
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Parental substance use disorders are a factor in the majority of child welfare cases, yet there is scant evidence about the best way to address this problem. This is a two-part workshop (requiring two workshop sessions) that will describe the continuum of services necessary to effectively serve drug endangered children and their families. The first session will provide an overview of the problem, with a brief discussion on the impact of parental substance use on children across the lifespan from pre-natal exposure to childhood to adolescence. The presentation will center on a model policy framework that draws on the resources and talents of multiple systems.

Session Objectives:
I. Describe the nature of the problem, including the prevalence rates of children prenatally exposed to both licit and illicit substances.
II. Describe the impact on prenatal and environmental exposure on children.
III. Articulate the need for a comprehensive approach to the problem that includes prevention/education, early intervention and child safety, treatment, and family support.

B-02: Breaking the Cycle of Addiction and Abuse: Prevention and Education Resources for Advocates of Drug Endangered Children
Presenters include Amy Bloustine and Julie Stevens
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The mission of the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children includes developing collaborative interventions in the lives of children affected by drug use. Prevention is a key component of our efforts to protect children. This Session will highlight some of the effective prevention resources available in our communities, including The Partnership at Drugfree.org; the regional Centers for Applied Prevention Technologies; and Statewide Prevention Resource Centers.

B-03: Compulsion or Addiction: The Correlation Between Child Pornography and Child Abuse
Presented by Detective Jeff Rich and Mr. Dan Powers
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This session will discuss the correlation between drug users and persons who exploit children via the use of the internet. We will examine current laws and child protection issues. This session will also explore the links between drug abusers and sexual traffickers of children and related intervention techniques with compliant child victims.
Session Objectives:
I. Identify the different methods of collecting and gathering child pornography over the internet.
II. Identify the correlation between child pornography collectors and abusers of children.
III. Identify the common threads between abusers of children and drug abusers.
IV. Identify how the internet is used to facilitate the sexual trafficking of children and how drugs play a part with compliant victims.

B-04: Town Hall Meeting: Are We Doing Enough to Stop the Intergenerational Cycle of Incarceration?
Presented by Carley Frohling; featuring Olivia Eudaly, MA, State Executive Director of Amachi Texas; Anne Gifford; Roderick Miles; and Sergeant Courtney Pero
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The intergenerational cycle of incarceration has devastating effects on individual families and communities as a whole. Where can prevention efforts be strengthened to avoid these circumstances for future generations? Join us for a town hall meeting where we will be reminded of the developmental needs of children and, with a panel of practitioners who work with children of incarcerated parents, have an active discussion about the issues. In addition, attendees will have the opportunity to develop a specific plan to improve prevention efforts that can help stop the cycle of incarceration in their communities.

Session Objectives:
I. Highlight the developmental needs and resiliency factors of children.
II. Showcase a panel of practitioners including a caregiver, faith leader, and practitioner.
III. Provide a forum for active discussion.
IV. Remind participants of available resources.
V. Provide opportunity for teams to develop specific actions to do back home.

Special Luncheon:
Texas Child Protective Services and the Texas Drug Endangered Children's Alliance: A Collaborative Initiative for Keeping Children Safe
Presented by Colleen McCall, CPS Field Director; Paul Black, Special Investigator Program Director-Dallas County; and Milton R. Ayala, Substance Abuse Program Specialist
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The presentation will familiarize the audience with the role CPS plays in responding to DEC. The audience will be introduced to the concepts of child safety, protective capacity, and protective measures. Audience members will be given available Texas data on investigations related to substance abuse. Many of the lessons learned about CPS' role with DEC will be presented and discussed. The lessons learned will be categorized in the following headings: Role in Drug Raids, Establishing Child Safety, and Achieving Child Permanency.

Breakout Sessions:

C-01: Partnerships, Policies, and Practices: A Collaborative Framework for Addressing the Complex Needs of Drug Endangered Children and Their Families - Part II
Presented by Linda Carpenter
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This session continues the discussion from Part I, with particular emphasis on program models being implemented across the country. Family-centered substance abuse treatment is emerging as a promising practice in treating families affected by parental substance use. Unlike traditional models, family-centered treatment seeks to address the needs of the entire family. An overview highlighting the key principles of family-based services will be given. The broad continuum of family-based services will also be addressed, highlighting key elements such as child care services, father involvement, and residential treatment services for the entire family.

Findings from the National Center for Substance and Child Welfare (NCSACW) and National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD) study on therapeutic services to children of parents in substance abuse treatment will be presented. The study seeks to explore how state substance abuse treatment agencies define therapeutic services, what services states currently provide to children, how a state determines whether and what type of services a child should receive, and how states ensure that children have access to such services. Study methodology included review and analysis of responses in the 2009 Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant and interviews with nine states.

Session Objectives:
I. Understand the key principles of family-centered substance abuse treatment.
II. Identify various models of family-centered substance abuse treatment, including the continuum of services for children affected by parental/caregiver substance abuse.
III. Identify how community partners can provide access to developmental and early intervention services for children.

C-02: Meth Labs and Marijuana Grows: Environmental Impacts
Presented by John Martyny, PhD
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This session will provide new information regarding the remediation of contamination due to meth labs and meth use from surfaces, clothing, etc. Current toxicity information regarding meth will also be provided as well as well as personal protection and personal decontamination guidelines. Hazards associated with indoor marijuana grow operations will be discussed as well as the effect that these exposures may have on children associated with these operations.

Session Objectives:
I. Provide information to attendees regarding the persistence of methamphetamine on clothes, building materials, and other items within clandestine labs.
II. Enable attendees to properly protect themselves as first responders, inadvertent responders, or as individuals handling personnel from clan labs.
III. Acquaint attendees with the hazards present in indoor marijuana grow operations and provide information on how these hazards may affect responders and children involved in these operations.

C-03: Meconium Study
Presented by Karen Buchi, MD
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During this session, Dr. Buchi will highlight past and present research efforts in Utah concerning drug-exposed infants and children. She will also discuss the background and methodology of active research projects concerning drug-exposed children, including the following:
– Utah Prenatal Substance Abuse Prevalence Study
– Health and Developmental Outcomes of Methamphetamine-Exposed Children in Utah: A Descriptive Study
– Management of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Session Objectives:
I. Discuss a variety of study methodologies used to address issues concerning drug endangered children.
II. Provide preliminary results of current studies.
III. Open a discussion about future studies.


C-04: Family Drug Court: Child Protection through Collaboration - A National and Local Perspective
Presented by Cynthia Herriott, Ora Beth McMullen, John Haenes, and Rachel Nauss
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This session will provide background on the drug court model applied to child protection cases and how partnerships between these local courts and DEC efforts can improve outcomes for both parent and child within a family struggling with addiction. Family dependency treatment courts (FDTCs) have evolved into a process by which the court, child welfare, and treatment systems collaborate to effectively address child abuse and neglect cases where there is a determination of parental substance abuse or dependence. FDTCs protect the best interests of the child through the effective use of resources and the commitment of a multi-disciplinary team to assist parent(s) in addressing issues of substance abuse and dependence, providing a safe and nurturing environment for a child, and ensuring that timely and developmentally appropriate services are provided to the child.

The second part of the session will include representatives from the Tarrant County Family Drug Court, whose mission is to establish an integrated, court-based collaboration that protects children from abuse and neglect precipitated by substance abuse through timely decisions, coordinated services, strength-based, family-centered treatment and recovery support services, and safe and permanent placements. The session will give insight into the establishment of the family drug court, from startup to sustainability, highlighting challenges faced and successes achieved along the way.

Session Objectives:
I. Understand the family drug court model and the rationale behind its design in Tarrant County.
II. Describe the many challenges faced in establishing an integrated, court-based collaboration.
III. Highlight the importance of utilizing coordinated services, family-centered treatment and recovery support services, and safe and permanent placements in protecting children from abuse and neglect precipitated by substance abuse.

D-01: Prescription Drugs and Drug Endangered Children
Presented by Special Agent Victor Routh
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This session will explain the prescription drugs that are available today to children of all ages. It will also demonstrate the locations in which children conceal prescriptions that have been obtained for use and the distribution in schools. Special Agent Routh will explain ways to prevent children from being able to obtain the prescription medication for use and abuse.

Session Objectives:
I. Learn which prescriptions are being used illegally by children of all ages.
II. Identify the popular medications being used by children of different backgrounds and communities.
III. Identify how children hide and conceal both prescription drugs and illicit drugs obtained from the home or from parents.
IV. Identify solutions to solving the ways children obtain illegal prescriptions.

D-02: Drug Endangered Children: Ecology, Psychological Profiles, and Long-term Risk
Presented by Dr. Kiti Freier Randall
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This workshop will offer a discussion of the synergy of drug environments in relation to the functional status and psychological profiles of drug endangered children. The importance of addressing the unique and variable psychological profiles of the individual DEC will be discussed.

Session Objectives:
I. Provide a better understanding of the synergy of ecology and functional status of the drug endangered child.
II. Illustrate and discuss the variability in the neuropsychological profiles of the drug endangered child.
III. Discuss the long-term risk for the drug endangered child relative to adverse childhood events and health risk.

D-03: Breaking the Silence, Breaking the Cycle: Hope and Healing for Children of Addicted Parents
Presented by Elizabeth Devine, MEd, LPC
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Through the use of children’s artwork and writings, this presentation will illustrate common characteristics of children impacted by parental addiction to alcohol and other drugs. Concrete examples of ways to explain the dynamics of addiction to children as well as activities that combat maladaptive ways of conceptualizing and coping will be shared. Suggestions for both parent and child recovery, rebuilding, and healing will also be discussed.

Session Objectives:
I. Increase awareness of impact of addiction on young children of alcoholics/addicts.
II. Increase knowledge of ways to help and talk with children affected by familial addiction.
III. Increase understanding of resiliency and protective factor research.
IV. Increase awareness of activities that engage and educate COAs as well as recovering parents.
V. Increase knowledge of resources for COAs and recovering parents.

D-04: You Mean I Have to Work with THEM?!
Presented by Nic Taylor, PhD; Mitch Brown; Betsy Dunn; and Chris Corken

This insightful presentation will enlighten the student through the use of a mock scenario of the "first meeting" and informal discussion between law enforcement, prosecution, child welfare, and treatment representatives discussing each role in the DEC response process. It should reflect the actual considerations that are raised when deciding how to proceed with a DEC case, whether it is through voluntary treatment, child neglect proceedings, or criminal court.

Session Objectives:
I. Explain and demonstrate the roles of all parties in this process.
II. Encourage multi-disciplinary and outcome based decision making in these cases.
III. Display real roadblocks/successes in decision-making

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Breakout Sessions

E-01: Collaborating to Meet the Needs of Families Affected by Parental Substance Use
Presented by Linda Carpenter (moderator), Shannon Stokes (panelist), and Pamela Miller (panelist)
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Practice and research repeatedly show parental substance use disorders as a factor in a large portion of child welfare cases, yet there is scant evidence about the best way to address this problem. This panel-based workshop will highlight innovative strategies to meet the needs of families affected by parental substance use. The panel will first provide background and national context on Family Drug Courts, a multi-disciplinary model involving the court, child welfare, and substance abuse treatment, through a presentation of preliminary findings from a national study of twenty Family Drug Courts. Two programs further enhancing the collaborative process by partnering with DEC efforts will show how these efforts can improve outcomes for families. The two programs are One Hope United (Missouri) and Riverside County Pre-Filing Family Preservation Court (Riverside, CA). One Hope United will discuss the development of the Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children as a vehicle for strengthening and expanding the level of collaboration and cooperation among various components of the service delivery system. The Riverside County Pre-Filing Family Preservation Court is a voluntary Drug Court program engaging families prior to the filling of a dependency petition and will discuss the partnership with Riverside County’s DEC efforts.

Session Objectives:
I. Recognize various models of cross system collaboration to meet the needs of drug endangered children.
II. Understand how collaboration with DEC efforts can improve outcomes for families affected by substance use.

E-02: Drug Endangered Children in Schools: Identification, Impact, and Intervention
Presented by Paige Marsh, Jeremy Liebbe, and Carol Duncan

This session will describe the vital issue of drug endangered children in the school system, focusing on three key areas: the variety of ways school personnel come into contact with and identify DEC on a daily basis; the effects that being exposed to drug environments have on the education and school experience of a child; and the importance of collaborating with other programs, organizations, and agencies when intervening on behalf of these children.

E-03: Celebrating Families! and ¡Celebrando Familias!
Presented by Rosemary Tisch and Steve Hornberger
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Celebrating Families! (CF!) is an evidence-based, family skills building curriculum, listed on the National Registry of Evidence Based Programs and Practices (NREPP). ¡Celebrando Familias! (¡CF!) is its newly released version for Spanish-speaking families. All families served by CF! are at high risk for substance abuse disorders and suffer from (or are at high risk) for child abuse/neglect or family/domestic violence. CF! has achieved outstanding evaluation results, including a significant reduction in time to reunification to 6 to 12 months and a high degree of success in teaching healthy living skills, strengthening family life, and promoting recovery. ¡Celebrando Familias! pilot site evaluation findings include significant improvement on family functioning and increase in children’s developmental assets. This workshop includes an overview of the models, lessons learned from implementation sites, and implementation steps.

Session Objectives:
I. Research Foundations of the program.
II. Program structure.
III. Overview of session content through interactive learning methods.
IV. Evaluation Results.
V. Implementation Steps.

E-04: Engaging Families with Children Affected by Substance Abuse in Tribal Communities
Presented by Nadja Jones
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This session will provide topical training on engaging and serving tribal families with children affected by families with substance abuse issues. It will use the NICWA Heritage and Helping curriculum “Module V - Family Centered Services” with an emphasis on AOD issues and children.

Session Objectives:
I. Identify key engagement strategies in successfully engaging with tribal families affected by substance abuse and addiction.
II. Demonstrate knowledge of the value and purpose for family preservation services in an urban and reservation setting.
III. Identify key worker roles and responsibilities in providing family centered services.
IV. Describe how to mobilize treatment and recognize community/family resources in support of family-centered services.

F-01: From Drug Addiction to Long-term Recovery: Three Clients’ Stories
Presented by Natalie Ridley Baerwaldt (moderator), Nicole Willburn (panelist), Jennifer Hodges (panelist), and Valerie Monroe (panelist)
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Nexus Recovery Center allows mothers seeking substance abuse treatment to bring their children with them into the residential program. These mothers will discuss their personal journeys from drug addiction to long-term recovery. They will share their stories regarding treatment and recovery, motivations to get clean, drug endangered children, and challenges as recovering parents. They will address issues such as addiction history, effects on children, interventions for children, CPS involvement, relapse prevention, and survivor’s pride. They will talk about the Nexus program and how the family continues to heal from the disease of addiction.

F-02: Impact of Trauma and Addiction on Drug Endangered Children: Becoming Trauma Informed
Presented by Carol Ackley
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Understanding the three critically related issues of addiction, trauma, and mental health helps create effective services and interventions that, at least, “do no harm” and, at best, help families begin the recovery process. Increasing awareness of the role trauma plays in addiction and mental health concerns allows service providers from diverse areas, such as human services, corrections, law enforcement, behavioral health, medical services, emergency responders, and education, to name a few, to better understand human behavior under adverse conditions.

Session Objectives:
I. Understand how pervasive trauma, abuse, and violence are in our world.
II. Understand the co-morbidity of substance abuse, mental health, trauma, and brain chemistry changes.
III. Define “trauma informed services.”

F-03: The Foster Parent Wish List
Presented by Lori Moriarty, Rhoda Bailey, and Gwen King
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Foster parents play a critical role in helping break the cycle of abuse and addiction in a drug endangered child’s life. But collaboration with practitioners is key, and true collaboration only happens when we exchange information, alter our activities, and share our resources to enhance the capacity of another for the mutual benefit of all to achieve a common purpose. So what can each of us do to enhance the capacity of the other to intervene more effectively in a child’s life? This breakout session will explore the lives of foster parents and address those things every foster parent wishes practitioners knew, as well as the things every practitioner wishes foster parents knew.

F-04: Drug Trafficking Trends and Issues in Tribal Communities
Sponsored by the Office of Justice Services, Division of Drug Enforcement, Bureau of Indian Affairs
Presented by Special Supervisory Agent Brian Gilliam and Special Supervisory Agent Douglas Noseep

This presentation will discuss the drug traffic trends in Indian Country including Native Drug Traffic Organizations (DTOs). The speakers will explain how the BIA Drug Enforcement division works and how BIA coordinates with other agencies to promote better work between county/state/city law enforcement agencies with local tribal police agencies.

Session Objectives:
I. Understand the challenges of addressing illegal drug trafficking in remote, rural Tribal areas, including Native Drug Traffic Organizations and other drug trafficking networks.
II. Learn about coordination and cooperation efforts and strategies that could improve responses to drug endangered children.

Closing Plenary
Breaking the Intergenerational Cycle of Addiction: A Mother’s Story
Presented by Valerie Monroe

Recovering addict Valerie Monroe will close the 2010 conference as our final plenary speaker. Valerie will candidly share her personal struggles with and triumphs over addiction.

Valerie was led into addiction due to childhood abuse and she was motivated to seek treatment because of her son Keaton, who was four years old at the time. Keaton was traumatized by her substance abuse and was the catalyst for Valerie to get clean and turn her life around.

Valerie entered Nexus Recovery Center’s residential treatment program with Keaton in 1992 and resided there for fourteen months. Since then she has established a ten-year career with Hewlett Packard, purchased a house, and been married for fourteen years. She has also testified on the importance of family drug treatment in Washington, D.C. before The Subcommittee on Health and the Environment.

Valerie has sponsored numerous Nexus clients over the past eighteen years and is currently the Aftercare Coordinator at Nexus. Keaton is now twenty-two years old, attends college, and has never tried drugs. Intervention and adequate treatment services provided Valerie with the opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of addiction.