DAPHNE — Over 30 people from child advocacy centers, police departments and more went through multidisciplinary training to enhance their ability to address instances of child abuse effectively.

The training was put on by the Alabama Network of Child Advocacy Centers, traveling to 20 counties across the state with Mike Johnson leading the discussion and training.

Johnson, a former Plano, Texas, police detective and youth protection advisor and director for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), is credited as the whistleblower who spoke out against BSA's Youth Protection Program and provided support for survivors and trauma-informed
response to victims of abuse in BSA.

In February 2020, BSA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after over 82,000 former Scouts came forward with claims of sexual abuse within the organization. Their claims amounted to a $2.4 billion bankruptcy plan.In 2023, Netflix released a documentary, "Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America." Johnson was a major interviewee.

In the documentary, Johnson says he was fired by BSA after the youth organization blocked his efforts to implement child protection measures out of fear of the Mormon church. He elaborated on stories of the victims and asked Congress to investigate BSA's attempt to hide decades of abuse.

On May 13-14 at the St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Daphne, Johnson trained law enforcement, therapists, advocates and prosecutors on how to handle situations where a child is a victim of abuse.

"I am here to train these different disciplines that are represented here on how to conduct these investigations," Johnson said. "I am a big believer in understanding those individuals, mostly men, who sexually offend against children, and then how we better investigate those cases so we can have cases that are filed with the district attorney's office so they (sex offenders) can be prosecuted and brought to justice."

Johnson added that arresting and prosecuting these offenders is not their only goal.

"We want to make sure that children get the support and therapy they need," he said. "It is important, even though this is kind of a law enforcement investigation focused training, that all the different disciplines that are involved in that child's life and potentially in a case are aware what everyone else is doing."

Nikki Whitaker, director of the Baldwin County Child Advocacy Center (BCCAC), said the training allowed her to see a new perspective of things she previously learned.

"It was more of a recharge," Whitaker said. "Some of the things that was helpful for me is what the prosecution is like and the types of evidence they are looking for. Everybody has their own role, so it is nice to have somebody who is very familiar with all of the roles to come in and speak to that."

Alabama Network of Child Advocacy Centers State Director Lynn Bius said multidisciplinary training allows individuals to become aware of how to handle situations where a child is a victim to abuse.

"The primary thing is that these predators are skilled manipulators and are trusted people," Bius said. "They are people that can be in authority, it is not somebody you would usually every expect so be very careful with who you trust and verify."