The appropriate and sensitive use of anatomical dolls is one of the topics explored in this comprehensive introduction to the process of interviewing child sexual abuse victims. Co-creator of the dolls, Marcia Morgan, takes readers through an interview from beginning to end. She provides guidelines on how to create an environment intended both to minimize a child's trauma and to enhance the amount, quality and validity of information obtained. She examines problems practitioners might encounter with young children and provides material on pre-interview preparation, training exercises and a listing of audio-visual resources.

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 guide provides practical information for law enforcement officers, child protection workers, child abuse investigators, and others faced with the need to obtain information from children who may be victims or witnesses of child sexual abuse. The approaches and techniques described are designed to be legally defensible while minimizing further trauma to the child. The techniques emphasize the maintenance of an objective perspective by the interviewer by avoiding leading questions, especially with young children, who may be susceptible to the suggestions of adults. Some suggestions for an interviewer's approach are to be sensitive to the child's level of development, to be flexible, to be objective, and to be empathetic. In talking to children, some guidelines are to phrase the question so the child understands; talk about what children understand; help children deal with questions they do not understand; be objective and avoid suggesting answers; provide a nonjudgmental atmosphere; begin the interview with broad, open-ended questions; avoid leading questions; help children overcome their anxieties; and understand children's emotional reactions. The phases of an interview discussed are preparation, setting and context, rapport-building and developmental observations, information exchange, and closure. Specific guidelines for interviewing children who may have been sexually abused focus on level of likelihood of the abuse, preparation for the interview, questioning, and the use of anatomical dolls and other media. 19 suggested supplemental readings, 5 organizations, and 15 additional resources.

These guidelines cover a number of areas considered to be of key importance in conducting an investigative interview, including: the feelings of the child and the interviewer; checklist; preparing for the interview; seating arrangements; establishing trust; a neutral location; background information; getting started; children's sense of time; children's language; use of aids such as drawings and dolls; validating the child's credibility; and concluding the interview.

This study presents a unique overview of the cultural, social and practical aspects of interviewing rape victims. Exploring a range of issues that affect rape cases including discourse, gender, attitudes and victim's rights, Rich reveals the complexities of sexual assault and looks to how communities can work to respond to and combat such violence.

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.

Investigation of child abuse is often hampered by doubts about the reliability of children as only sources of information. Over the last decade, consensus has been reached about children's limitations and competencies. New for the Wiley Series in the Psychology of Crime, Policing and Law, Tell Me What Happened summarizes key research on children's memory, communicative skills and social tendencies, describes how it can be incorporated into a specific structured interview technique and reviews evidence involving more than 40,000 alleged victims.