Childhelp Leaders to Share Innovative Child Protective Strategies at INTERPOL’s 41st Operational Meeting

LYON, France, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- This April, Childhelp’s Executive Director of Tennessee Region Operations Kenneth Bender, and Director of the Childhelp Children’s Center of Arizona Kenneth McKinley, will represent the organization at INTERPOL’s 41st Operational Meeting in Lyon, France. Addressing law enforcement officials and child crime specialists from more than 70 nations, Bender and McKinley will present Childhelp’s groundbreaking Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) model that is utilized in Childhelp’s children's advocacy centers (CAC) and has transformed child protection and abuse prevention efforts in the U.S.

“Our MDT model integrates law enforcement, medical professionals, mental health specialists, child advocates and prosecutors to provide comprehensive care of child abuse victims while streamlining the investigative process,” says McKinley. “By sharing our successes and challenges, we hope to inspire international collaboration and implementation.”

The presentation will highlight key elements and the effectiveness of the MDT approach, including:

• Prosecution rates: Cases integrated through CACs and MDTs are more likely to be prosecuted
• Caregiver satisfaction: Caregivers appreciate the child-centered environment and approach that reduces distress
• Mental health services: Effective teamwork increases referrals to mental health services
• Forensic interviews: MDT models improve credibility of victim statements and fewer repetitive interviews reduce secondary trauma

Bender and McKinley will expand on the model’s effectiveness with data from 2023. Of the 167,000 reports of child abuse in the state of Tennesseee, 65,000 cases were reviewed by an MDT, resulting in 32,000 children receiving forensic interviews. The model’s impact is reflected in its outcomes: a 100% conviction rate of the perpetrators, with 81 out of 88 taking plea deals and seven going to trial — all convicted — receiving more than 300 years of combined prison terms and zero acquittals in Knox county, alone.

“Child abuse knows no borders, and neither should our strategies to combat it,” says Bender. “At INTERPOL, we’re not just sharing a model — we’re inviting a global conversation on how we can work together to protect children everywhere.”

Childhelp’s participation at INTERPOL’s 41st Operational Meeting highlights the organization’s commitment to advancing child welfare on a global stage. By engaging with international experts, Bender and McKinley aim to foster partnerships and exchange best practices that will amplify the impact of Childhelp’s work, worldwide.

About Childhelp: Founded by Sara O’Meara and Yvonne Fedderson in 1959, Childhelp® has brought the light of hope and healing into the lives of more than 13 million children as a leading national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping abused, neglected and at-risk children. Childhelp’s programs and services include residential treatment services, children’s advocacy centers, therapeutic foster care, group homes and child abuse prevention, education and training. The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline serves children and adults nationwide 24/7 through phone, text and online chat. For more information, visit childhelp.org and follow Childhelp at facebook.com/childhelp, Instagram.com/childhelp.