A core issue for professionals responsible for addressing sexual abuse is how to correctly identify cases. Interviewing Children About Sexual Abuse: Controversies and Best Practice critically reviews the research and practice on the spectrum of issues related to interviewing the sexually abused child. Its chapters cover all the most important topics that interviewers must keep in mind, from the accuracy of children's memories to appropriate types of questions to include to the use of interview aids, and within each chapter is a comprehensive review of research and practice, leading to conclusions that can be used to guide practice in this most sensitive of assignments.

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.

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.

The field of child sexual abuse has dramatically changed since Understanding Child Sexual Maltreatment was published in 1990. Considerable developments in child and offender research have emerged. But more significantly, a backlash against child abuse victims, Child Protective Services, and mental health professionals has impacted nearly every aspect of research, diagnosis, and intervention. Understanding and Assessing Child Sexual Maltreatment, Second Edition updates its comprehensive coverage of child sexual abuse definitions and indicators, interview and questioning techniques, and diagnosis guidelines to include an insightful response to the building social backlash against the so-called "child abuse industry." Distinguished scholar and experienced practitioner Kathleen Coulborn Faller applies twenty-five years of clinical experience and state-of-the-art research to offer authoritative guidance to both novice and experience practitioners. This Second Edition has been extensively revised to include A completely rewritten section on data gathering and analysis Updated assessment techniques and instruments Detailed coverage of post assessment intervention strategies Revised chapters that reflect up-to-date research and practice Extensive analysis of the backlash against child abuse cases Understanding and Assessing Child Sexual Maltreatment, Second Edition presents a wealth of practical information and field-tested tools. Author Kathleen Coulborn Faller uses clear language and numerous case studies to address all aspects of child sexual abuse including: the scope of the problem, professional collaboration, data analysis and diagnosis, and sexual abuse in special contexts. An essential resource for child protection workers, mental health practitioners, lawyers, and law enforcement personnel, Understanding and Assessing Child Sexual Maltreatment, Second Edition is also an ideal supplementary text for graduate courses in child welfare practice, social work, and psychology.

This volume provides the first rigorous assessment of the research relating to the disclosure of childhood sexual abuse, along with the practical and policy implications of the findings. Leading researchers and practitioners from diverse and international backgrounds offer critical commentary on these previously unpublished findings gathered from b

`It was a pleasure to read Sandra Hewitt's book because she obviously writes from an in-depth experience of working with young children. Her book also communicates a passionate concern that professionals need to understand and listen properly to children and avoid viewing the stressful area of child protection mainly from an adult perspective' - Children and SocietyWritten to help frontline practitioners assess and manage cases with children aged 18 months to six years who present with allegations of child abuse, this book provides concrete and easily understood information about basic child development, interview procedures and case management theory.Extensive experience is integrated with the research literature to provide: an overview of child development information as it applies to interviewing young children; a protocol for assessment of preverbal children that is grounded in theory and research; a format for assessment of children aged three to five; a review of the strengths and weaknesses of some current interview formats; a technique for structured interviewing; and a procedure for structured reunification of a child with an alleged abuser after unproven allegations. Case examples are used throughout the book.

In social work practice, the need for a thorough, protocol-driven therapeutic intervention is rarely more apparent than when working with victims of abuse who are children. Monit Cheung's comprehensive new manual uses the recent development of forensic interviewing techniques and best practice research to provide both a practical resource for interview conduct and court preparation and treatment suggestions for cases involving child sexual abuse. This book advocates for a team approach, encouraging the participation of parents, school personnel, church review boards, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, child welfare workers, legal prosecutors, and defense attorneys. The abundant resources throughout the book, including sample interviews, documents, and protocols, are provided to help multidisciplinary professionals who work with child victims successfully navigate the case management process.