Child Advocacy Center Announces Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day!

“April 26, 2017 is Drug Endangered Children Awareness Day across the nation and here in Rutherford and Cannon counties,” announced the Child Advocacy Center Drug Endangered Children Coordinator Alissa Kalish.

“When you think about the drug epidemic and drug overdoses in our nation, most people do not think about little children.  Sadly, there are many little children in our community who live in homes with parents who abuse drugs,” continued Kalish.  “Unfortunately,there are children who will not survive their parents’ drug use and other children will be forever scarred by their experiences.”

If you know a child who is living in a home where their parents are abusing drugs the first step to get that child help is to report the abuse to the Department of Children’s Services Child Abuse Reporting Hotline at 1-877-237-0004.

The Child Advocacy Center works as a team with the Department of Children’s Services to help parents stop using drugs and give their children a happier childhood.

“Many parents cannot afford to go to alcohol and drug treatment or they have no one to care for their children while they are in an in-patient alcohol and drug treatment program,” said Kalish.  “The Child Advocacy Center has an in-home option that helps the parents and their children.”

The Child Advocacy Center teaches families how to cope with addiction issues and helps parents stop using drugs.  Services include alcohol and drug education, relapse prevention, anger management, parenting and communication skills, and stress management.  The Center works with children to help them cope with their parents’ addiction and break the generational cycle of drug abuse.