“For the beginning case worker or those who wish to know about the relevant issues without necessarily becoming directly involved, this little book provides a useful introduction.” --Child & Family Behavior Therapy “The language is conversational, the style directive, addressing the reader personally and the instructions are explicit and stepwise. Following detailed preparation for the interview, there are good suggestions on how to help the child begin talking about any sexual abuse which she might have experienced. Avoidance of leading questions, with examples, is repeatedly advocated.” --Danya Glaser in ACPP Review & Newsletter Taking a comprehensive look at a complex task, How to Interview Sexual Abuse Victims is an excellent introduction to the process of interviewing children and includes a special segment on the appropriate use of anatomical dolls. Marcia Morgan, cocreator of the dolls, walks the reader through an interview from beginning to end and provides information on how to create an environment intended to minimize the child's trauma as well as enhance the amount, quality, and validity of information obtained. The book examines problems professionals might encounter with young children and material on preinterview preparation. In addition, there are sections included that provide training exercises, a glossary, an annotated bibliography, and a listing of audiovisual resources. Based on the author's many years of experience, as well as case law, How to Interview Sexual Abuse Victims is ideally designed for use by professionals including police, social service workers, and prosecutors. “Overall, this brief book is a worthwhile contribution to the literature on the interviewing of child witnesses…. Those who use, or who are considering using, dolls should ensure that they are familiar with this book's contents.” --Ray Bull, review in Expert Evidence: The International Digest of Human Behaviour Science and Law “Highly recommended.” --Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin Book Club

Preinterview Preparation

Preinterview preparation

To conduct a good interview with a victim of child sexual abuse, you need to be very well-prepared. Rarely are there witnesses to child sexual abuse, and medical evidence is often hard to obtain. Even when the medical evidence does exist, it is seldom more than support for the child's story. This means that legal action against an offender generally relies on the victim's clear and unequivocal information about the abusive incident or series of incidents. If you are unable to help the child victim provide this information, the offender may remain free to abuse again.

Preinterview preparation begins by gathering adequate background information. Knowing something about the child and his or her family may help you create an environment in which the ...

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