Child Forensic Interviewer/Program Manager Mt Emily Safe Center
Understanding child and adolescent development is of upmost importance when conducting forensic interviews. Development impacts a child/adolescent’s ability to participate in the forensic interview in every way. Using techniques that match their developmental needs is imperative to producing reliable and accurate information in the forensic interview. Interviewers who understand child development are better able to make appropriate developmental accommodations for children during the forensic interview. Understanding child development helps interviewers recognize how development impacts the child’s abilities and limitations during the forensic interview. This two-part presentation will discuss characteristics of children in the following areas of development; language, cognition, and social/emotional development. Information will be presented that will help child forensic interviewers understand how these areas of development impact a child’s ability to participate in and provide information during a forensic interview. A review of developmental stages and the considerations forensic interviewers can utilize during the forensic interview process will be discussed. This presentation will include a combination of group discussion, lecture, examples of forensic interviews and an extensive handout.
Learning Objectives:
Gain an understanding of developmental factors that are relevant to forensic interviewing
Understand how developmental factors impact a child's ability to participate in the forensic interview
Learn about children/adolescents at various stages of development, considerations that forensic interviewers can make to accommodate the child's development will be discussed
