Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse Training and Technical Assistance Program

The National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC) will develop and deliver a National Tribal DEC Discipline-Specific Training Program for tribal jurisdiction stakeholders, including law enforcement, prosecutors, tribal justice systems, child welfare workers, and others, that will focus on appropriate responses for cases involving drug endangered children (DEC). The training is designed to focus on a multidisciplinary approach for responding to drug endangered children and incorporate the unique training needs of tribal officials and the individual practitioners involved in a case. This project has two main goals: 1) to strengthen the long-term capacity of tribes to improve and sustain a multidisciplinary approach for addressing the needs of drug endangered children under tribal jurisdiction; and 2) to develop culturally and legally appropriate tools and delivery structures to promote tribal leadership and effectiveness for cases involving drug endangered children.

National DEC will work in partnership with tribal experts and others familiar with tribal justice systems, drug endangered children issues, and provisions of the National Indian Child Welfare Act to create and deliver a culturally appropriate multidisciplinary Tribal DEC Training Curriculum. National DEC will establish a Tribal DEC Training Advisory Committee to guide the work. National DEC will certify indigenous Tribal DEC trainers through a train-the-trainer program to increase the tribes' capacity for delivering the training, and will support the certified trainers through distance learning and regular technical assistance, including conference calls, webinars, and individual support. National DEC will increase the number of tribal resources in its existing Resource Center that provide research, information, and tools to support a multidisciplinary approach to drug endangered children within the tribal context. They will also partner with other Bureau of Justice Assistance and Department of Justice technical assistance providers addressing related issues, including methamphetamine, tribal substance abuse and crime, child protection, and courts. National DEC will make presentations at national, state, and tribal events to disseminate training opportunities.

CA/NCF