State Profile: The Missouri Alliance for Drug Endangered Children
By Mike Maugens

Vivian Murphy will be the first one to admit that a DEC state alliance is not built in a day. Murphy, the Executive Director of the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association (MJJA), nevertheless believes that the best days are still ahead for this state's fight for drug endangered children.

While the MJJA has existed for over 30 years, Missouri's DEC alliance is a relative neophyte to the arena of juvenile justice. Missouri's alliance got the jumpstart it needed with help from local Senator Kit Bond. Senator Bond gained funding for Missouri's DEC alliance from the Department of Justice. She was moved to action after hearing numerous stories of child injuries and developmental problems due to their proximity to methamphetamine labs. Now, they have hit the ground running by raising awareness and garnering support from both statewide and national agencies. The Circle of Hope federal grant will fund the alliance $5 million over the next five years will help toward those efforts. The progress of Missouri's program shows unity over a problem that is wreaking havoc on communities and the state itself. Vivian Murphy has said that this is an example of state agencies and organizations "working together for the benefit of our most vulnerable children." Indeed, many multi-disciplinary interests have taken notice. Murphy makes it clear that getting local people involved will be a key to future success as well. Missouri's DEC alliance is still relatively small. But the hopes it has for this state's protection of children are grand. The MJJA's "Children in Meth Labs Project" aims to ensure that children removed from those environments have the best medical care and level of safety possible.

Murphy believes that some of their greatest accomplishments have been the Intrastate Regional Training on Safety Removal associated with this project as well as the writing of safety guidelines for the removal of children. At the moment, education, community outreach, influencing public policy, and assisting these local law enforcement teams are the top priorities.

For those trying to forge DEC alliances in states that lack them, Vivian Murphy has simple advice that has shaped her experiences in Missouri; "build relationships." Starting small with groups of key leaders and stakeholders is a stepping stone to bigger things. The child advocacy centers, community leaders, and others that make up the Missouri DEC alliance is the evidence of this. According to Murphy, support from NADEC has been beneficial, and the only direction for Missouri is forward. Their progress indicates a new wave of hope for endangered children across the state and country.

To follow the Missouri DEC Alliance building process and to see the exciting steps they take from here, look in our next newsletter for the second part of this state's profile series.

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Scholastic Inc. recently gave an in-kind donation of books, valued at more than $2,000, to Circle of Hope, a project that supports families affected by methamphetamine abuse in Missouri.

The books will be distributed to families in the program to encourage parents to read to their children. Circle of Hope staff will visit clients with age-appropriate books and discuss with parents the importance of reading and how it nurtures family relationships.

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"A program offering services to families affected by methamphetamine abuse in southwest Missouri has recently been launched by a Chicago-based private non-profit human service organization. Circle of Hope with its newly named director Shannon Stokes will target nine counties in the southwest corner of the state with especially high numbers of children in care who have been affected by their families' meth drug abuse..." view a cached version or for the original read more ...