Kids House of Seminole Expands Partnership With Law Enforcement to Protect Abused Children

More than 1 million children become victims of abuse and neglect each year across the country, according to the Florida Department of Children and Families, and Seminole County's Kids House Wayne Densch Children's Advocacy Center is working to ensure local children aren't counted among those left without help.

The organization, formally known as Kids House of Seminole, Inc. and named in honor of the Wayne M. Densch Charitable Trust, Inc., has deepened its collaborative model with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, law enforcement agencies, child welfare organizations, and the state attorney's office. Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma called the partnership foundational to his agency's investigative work.

"The relationship that we have with Kids House always stands as the relationship that I'm far most proud of in our community," Lemma said. "And I think it centers around the relationship and the common interest of protecting our most vulnerable citizens."

Lemma added that preventing child abuse is everybody's responsibility.

At the center of that work is Kids House CEO Kong, who began at the organization in 2001 as one of its first child advocates. This year marks 25 years of her service with Kids House; she took on the CEO role approximately five years ago. Kong said it is the visible transformation in children that sustains her through the work.

"When you see a child that comes in broken, when a child, you look in their eyes and you see that brokenness, they are not speaking. But then when they leave Kids House, they're a whole different child," Kong said.

The process begins when a suspected abuse or neglect case is reported to the Florida Abuse Hotline. The Florida Department of Children and Families then investigates in partnership with law enforcement and Child Protective Services, after which the case is referred to Kids House. Once there, a trained interviewer conducts a single forensic interview so the child tells their story only once, reducing re-traumatization while gathering facts critical to the case.

From that point, a multidisciplinary team including medical professionals, law enforcement, child protection services, victim advocates, and prosecutors collectively determine how best to help the child. All services, including forensic medical exams, evidence-based trauma therapy, and case management, are provided under one roof.

Kids House, established in July 1999, served 1,954 children in fiscal year 2022-2023. Anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected can report it by calling the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96ABUSE or 1-800-962-2873.