Children may be witnesses to crimes or accidents, or suspected victims of abuse or neglect, or they may be involved in some form of legal action such as custody cases. In these situations, they may need to be interviewed formally, and if this is not done properly, incorrect or inadequate information may be recorded or the child's position may not be correctly represented later in court. In cases of child abuse, the child may not be the only witness, and the quality of their verbal evidence is critical. A Guide to Interviewing Children is a practical guide the evidential interviewing techniques needed by a range of professionals: social workers, forensic psychologists, lawyers, police and teachers. It outlines basic techniques, explains how to deal with children of different ages (from pre-school to fifteen years), how to deal with parents, the particular issues of sexual abuse, handling multiple interviews of one child and so on. It is written for an international readership, and will be more practical and cover a broader range of contexts than the other titles currently available.

Interviewing children as part of an investigation is an act that requires great care. Professional interviewers are coming under increasing scrutiny, and their techniques must pass rigorous review by outside agencies, at the same time serving the needs of children.This engagingly written, eye-opening book provides a practical answer to this dilemma. It summarizes the most important recent research and steers the reader away from controversial techniques. The authors, two of the most prominent researchers in this area, cover important topics such as: the strengths and weaknesses of children as witnesses; the current child protection and abuse-investigation crisis; child development and comprehension; and ancillary techniques such as using dolls. They offer a generic protocol for conducting interviews of children and show how it can be customized to specific cases.

Incorporating case studies, checklists, and self-assessment sheets, this book provides step-by-step guidelines for - establishing an effective inteview setting, - building rapport with the child, - overcoming the difficulties that can arise when eliciting free narrative accounts, - understanding which question types to use and which to avoid, - identifying and using age-appropriate language, - inteviewing disabled children and those who are bilingual or use a minority language. Editor

This book is a practical and thoughtful guide for the forensic interview of children, presenting a synthesis of the empirical and theoretical knowledge necessary to understand the account of child victims of abuse or witnesses of crime. It is a complex task to interview children who are suspected of being abused in order to gather their stories, requiring the mastery of many skills and knowledge. This book is a practical one in that constant links are made between the results of the research and their relevance for the interventions made when interviewing child victims of abuse or witnesses of crime and in understanding their accounts. This book also presents in a detailed and concrete way the revised version of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD-R) Protocol, a forensic structured interview guide empirically supported by numerous studies carried out in different countries. The step-by-step explanations are illustrated with a verbatim interview with a child, as well as other tools to help the interviewer to prepare and handle an efficient and supportive interview. Conducting Interviews with Child Victims of Abuse and Witnesses of Crime is essential reading for stakeholders in the justice, social and health systems as well as anyone likely to receive allegations from children such as educators or daycare staff. Although the NICHD-R Protocol is intended for forensic interviewers, the science behind its development and application is relevant to all professionals working with children.

This wide-ranging volume combines the current findings and frontline knowledge working practitioners need to know about forensic interviewing of children in sexual abuse cases. Coverage begins with the basics: legal and ethical principles, interview planning and procedure, psychometric and cultural issues, pitfalls and how to avoid them. Perspectives from a trial lawyer and a district attorney lend real-life details on criminal court procedure, interview procedure, legal standards, and what is expected of expert witnesses. Not only is developmental understanding of salient issues concerning children's competency and suggestibility offered here, but also vital guidance on the controversies surrounding false memories and untrue accusations. Included in the coverage: Working with the multidisciplinary team. Childhood memory: an update from cognitive neuroscience. Disclosure failures: statistics, characteristics, and strategies to address them.Child abusers' threats and grooming techniques. Review of psychometrics of forensic interview protocols with children. Assessing the quality of forensic interviews with child witnesses. Forensic Interviews Regarding Child Sexual Abuse brings a wealth of robust practical information to professionals working with children, including clinical and child psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers.

Clinical and Forensic Interviewing of Children and Families : Guidelines for the Mental Health, Education, Pediatric, and Child Maltreatment.

This book provides a practical, pedagogical perspective on conducting qualitative interviews with children and young people. From designing and choosing the type of interview through to planning, structuring, conducting, and analysing them this book is a complete toolkit. Drawing upon real-world examples and researchers′ anecdotes, the authors combine both theoretical background and practical advice to introduce common issues and procedures and to help you undertake your own interviews in the field. Key topics include how to: Choose which interview style meets your and your participants’ needs Maintain a safe and ethically sound research environment Incorporate participatory methods into formal interview settings Encourage participation and capture the voice of interviewees Utilise digital tools, software and methods to collect and analyse data This clear, articulate book is an essential companion for anyone interviewing children and young people.