In-Service Training: Street Smart Ohio: Substance Abuse Awareness and Recognition for Child Welfare Professionals
Captin Shawn Bain (Ret.)
Shawn retired after serving over 29 years with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in Columbus, Ohio an agency responsible for serving a population of over one million citizens. He has been assigned many different areas of responsibility in Law Enforcement including the jail division, patrol division, canine unit, SWAT, and Special Investigations conducting vice and narcotics investigations. He has also served as a supervisor in all of these areas.
He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) National Academy.
He is a graduate of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Drug Unit Commanders Academy.
He is a certified instructor, Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy.
He is a Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant (CPSA) with the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board.
He is licensed with the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
Shawn is also assigned as the Drug Intelligence Officer for the State of Ohio for Ohio (HIDTA) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area.
Street Smart Ohio realizes that substance use affects so many Ohio families. Ohio is experiencing record numbers of overdose deaths, so now more than ever, it is important that anyone with a nexus to children understands the importance of recognizing the appearance, behavioral, and conduct indicators of drug abuse. Drugs do not discriminate and any of our families could be affected by addiction.
Understanding addiction is becoming more and more important to the role of CASA/GAL volunteers. It has been reported that roughly 60-75% of cases in child welfare are due to some form of substance abuse. Caring for the whole child includes educating ourselves on the child’s experiences, traumas, challenges faced by the child’s primary family, and what needs they will have based on that information. The information presented in this training will assist CASA/GAL volunteers in being more knowledgeable about substance use disorders and how they can best support children who are coming from families could be affected by addiction.
