Drug endangered children are the silent victims of the drug crisis. Previously, the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office collaborated with the Trauma and Policy Learning Initiative at Harvard Law to develop a trauma-informed approach for police officers and school systems to handle children exposed to violence. The office is now using the same approach to serve children exposed to family drug use, overdoses and drug seeking behavior. This workshop will explore the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) study and how exposure to drugs is an ACE. For some children, this can lead to problems with academic performance, inappropriate behavior in the classroom and difficulty forming relationships. As a result, it is necessary for police officers to communicate effectively with school personnel when children are involved in these situations. In turn, schools need to have trauma-informed staff and policies to provide the appropriate response when children return to school.

Objectives:
- Explain the basic premises of the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) study.
- Design their own process to identify drug endangered children.
- Plan the communication process between police and schools to help drug endangered children.