Barnahus

1. Barnahus Ólöf Ásta Farestveit – leader of Barnahus PROMICE – 16th June 2016

2. Forensic interview

3. The interview room • Specially designed • Child friendly setting • Neutral/Safe • Camera • No distractions (no toys) • Age and developmentally appropriate • Information about all present • Everyone can ask questions through the questioner

4. Interviewer • Use of evidence based protocol • Warm and friendly presence • Put the child at ease • Don´t sit interrogation style across table • Use of developmentally appropriate language • Avoid jargon – use precise language • Neutral and open minded • Respectful

5. Interviewer • Convey interest in child and what they have to say • Strong presence that shows „You can tell me anything and I can handle it“ • Avoid showing own reaction or opinion • Pace the interview – allow for short pauses • Be careful not to interrupt • Don´t finish sentences for child • Be aware of interview stress • Keep the interview short • Focus on questions to essential information • Make sure that the child sticks to the matter but be diplomat

6. Timing • Is the child tired? • What time does the child take medication, if any? • Has the child eaten? • Is the child missing fun activities? • Does the child need to use the restroom?

7. Forensic interviewing • Evidence based protocol (NICHD / NCAC) • Non-judgemental • Truth seeking • Neutral in tone • Accurate, credible, complete information • Precise documentation • DVD recording

8. The goals of the interview • Maximize information from he child • Minimize the impact of the interview on the child • Minimize contaminatin effects on the child´s memory • Maintain integrity

9. Fundamental principles • Emphasize on open-ended questions • Be smart with direct questions • „Funnel approach“ • „Pairing“ • Think about and use what child has just said • Listen more – talk less

10. Question types

11. Question types • Closed questions • Yes / No questions • Multiple choice/forced choice • Leading • Elicit recognition memory • Should be delayed • Children tend to answer with one word • Less likely to elicit complete responses • Results in additional information – some correct, some incorrect • Risk of contamination greater with youngest children

12. Question types • Open-ended questions • Narrative invitation • Focused narrative request • Detailed question / Wh- • Elicit recall memory • Speak able and important • Open questions elicit 3-5 times more information • Considered more reliable • Less influenced/contaminated by interviewer

13. Yes / No questions • „Was your Mom at home?“ • „Did _ say something to you?“ • Risks and benefits • Useful to introduce new topic • Increases incorrect responding • Too many yes/no questions can discredit an interview • May be difficult to know if child understood question

14. Forced/multiple choice question • “Did _ happen one time or more than one time?” • “Were you sitting down, or standing up, or something else? • Used to clarify detail question • Offer alternatives to choose from • May in fact not include the correct one • Children answer such questions even when the correct alternative is not given • Last option bias • Always include 2 alternitives and an open ended option: • „....or something else?“

15. Leading questions • „It´s ok to tell me that your father has been doing bad things to you“ • „Didn´t he hurt you?“ • Introduces information not previously mentioned by child • Asks the child to react to information • Lead to the desired response • Avoid using these questions • But if you must ... Always follow by pairing with an open ended invitation

16. Narrative invitation • The ultimate open-ended question • Free recall • Designed to let the child provide details without any input from the interviewer • Gives child most control over topic and conversation • Gives child opportunity to give information about things that they would not have been asked about • “Start at the beginning and tell me everything that happened” • “Tell me more about __” • “Tell me the next thing that happened” • “Then what happened?”

17. Focused narrative request • Interviewer requests more information about topic already mentioned • Cued open questions • About a person, object, action, time segment, location • “Tell me more about __” • “You said __, tell me everything about __” • “Tell me everything that happened from __ until __” • “Explain/describe __”

18. Detailed question • Important for the investigation • May cue child to provide a missing element • Should be delayed until narrative invitation and focused narrative requests exhausted • Who? • What? • Where? • When? • How? • But never why? • They are blaming

19. Keep in mind • Open ended questions are prudendt to avoid leading questions • The more open-ended the question. The greater confidence you can have in the response • Use as many open-ended questions as possible • Use general or focused questions & only resort to multiple choice or Y/N if the former aren´t eliciting any information • Revert to a more open ended approach following multiple choice or Y/N questions

20. Reflections • Research show that young children, 4-5yrs, gave two times more information for every “tell me about” question than “yes or no” question • 8-9yrs children gave equally much information as younger children if they were asked “yes or no” questions • BUT they gave four times more information fore every “tell me more” question

21. Interview structure • Stage 1 Rapport • Introduction • Early engagement • Interview instructions • Narrative practice • Family • Stage 2 Substantive Phase • Transition to the topic • Narrative description • Follow-up questions • Clarification • Closure

22. Interview instructions • If I ask you the same question more than once • Don´t guess - if you don’t know the answer • Let me know if you don’t understand the question • Correct me if I’m wrong • Difference between truth and lies • Contract about the truth

23. Body map

24. Use of human figure diagram • Introduce the diagram • Have child label parts of the body • Can also ask about function • Include questions about positive and negative “touches” • Conversation about “touches” • Conversation about “rules about a child´s body”

25. Narrative practice • Increases informative responses in the beginning of the interview • Opportunity to: • Observe linguistic functioning • Learn witch questioning formats elicit the most narrative responses • Observe if the child is reluctant

26. Transition to the topic • Question(s) whitch invite child to discuss substantive issues • Start broad and become progressively more focused • Funnel approach • „Tell me why you are here today“ • „What did your mom/dad tell you about coming here today?“ • „I understand something might have happened, tell me about that“ • More focused prompts • „Is someone worried about you?“ • „Are you worried about something?“ • „Has something happened to you?“ • „Have there been any problems?“

27. Narrative description • Elicit narrative using recall prompts „Tell me more...“ „Tell me all about...“ „Then what happened?“ „You said _ tell me more about _“ „Tell me what happened from the beginning to the end“ „help me to understand“ • Ask for explanation or further description • Avoid rush to specific questions

28. Follow-up and clarification • Questions eliciting further details • Keep questions as open as possible • Questions seeking clarification of previous terms or statements „Earlier you said that your dad French-kissed you. Explain French-kissed“ „Is there anything else that you think I should know?“

29. Closure • Sum up, using child´s words • Return to everyday conversation or neutral topic discovered in the rapport • Answer questions or concerns • Thank child for the participation, time and effort (not the content) • Discuss safety plan • Who can you tell if you are worried about something

30. Memory and suggestibility

31. Recall memory • Triggered by non direct, open-ended questions • Info that is most salient / understandable / speak able to the child • Risk – errors of omission • Accessed through open ended prompts • Greater accuracy rate • „Tell me everything about ...“ • „What happened next?“

32. Recoginition memory • Triggered by specific focused questions, Yes/No questions and multiple choice questions • Questions prompting recognition memory are necessary • Delay as long as possible • Additional info – some correct, some incorrect • Contamination risk – youngest children • Contamination risk – weak info

33. Whenever possible, elicit recall memory by asking open-ended questions • Carefully use focused questions to elicit recognition memory for crucial details

34. Suggestibility • The degree to which one’s memory or recounting of a event is influenced by suggested information or misinformation • Can be the result of: • Being told what to say • Being questioned in a way that alters your recollection of the event • Children 10 and over are no more suggestible than adults

35. Suggestibility • Greater risk with younger children • Greater risk with children who have less developed cognitive skills • Greater risk when using recognition prompts (as opposed to recall prompts) • Greater risk for peripheral details

36. Avoid introducing new information about the topic of concern • Some mildly suggestive questions may be necessary, but words should be chosen with care • Can seriously compromise accuracy when child is 5 yrs or younger OR if repeatedly interviewed

37. Case example - annie

38. Exploratory interview • Annie talkes briefly about school, her hobbies and interests (introduction and early engagement) • Ground rules explained • Narrative practice about a seperate, nonabusive event • Annie was asked why she was here today • She said she did not know

39. Exploratory interview • Annie was told that here children came to talk if something had happened to them • She told about a car incident she hat been through, in free narrative • Annie was told that sometimes children came to talk about their body and if someone had done anything to their bodies • She told about recent sexual play with peers at the playground

40. Exploratory interview • Annie was asked if anyone grown up had done anything to her body • She immediately answered • „Yes my father“ • Annie was asked „Tell me about that“ • She gave a very good free narrative that she had spent a night at her grandparents one year ago and her blodfather was there. She disclosed that her father touched her private parts and made her touch his • Exploratory interview was stopped and Annie told that she had to come back and tell more

41. Investigative interview • Annie´s disclosure was very detailed, she described one occasion of a very serious sexual abuse (touching of private parts, masturbating, attempted penetration). • She demonstrated this all very clearly while disclosing. • She described her father´s genitals very well and that something came out of it that was wet.

42. Investigatvie interview • Annie said that while this was happening she was listening to a well known lullaby in her fathers laptop over and over again. She also mention this in the exploratory interview • Annie said that after this, her father had fallen asleep and she had gone to her grandmother´s bed. She said that her father began snoring

43. Investigative interview • Right after the investigative interview Annie drew a picture in the waiting room for the interviewer without being asked • The picture shows her and her father in the bed • Police takes the picture and it is used in court

44. Medical examination • According to the doctor who examined Annie no clear medical evidence were found • Urine and blodsamples were normal • Annies blodfather was HIV positive so this was a big relief

45. Case example - Annie • Annie was diagnosed with PTSD both in Barnahus and at the child psychiatric unit

46. Case example - Annie • TF-CBT in Barnahus • 16 sessions • Playful inventions • Made a trauma narrative (book) • Acute admission to childrens psychiatry unit in April 2015 • Agressive behavior towards younger brother • Annie has finished her therapy and is doing well • Annie might need further therapy when she gets older (reaches puberty)

47. Annies final outcome

48. Case example - Annie • Prosecution issued an indicement 20.08.2015 • Annies therapist writes a report • Main court procedure is 23.11.2015 • Annies therapist gives testimony

49. The evidence • No conclusive physical evidence • No admittance from accused • Denied in court but admitted to police that he did not remember anything but something might have happened without him knowing since he was on drugs • Letter to Annies mother in July 2015 • Annies testimony • Various testimonies

50. Annies statement • Very clear • Free recall • Very graphical • Discloses many details • Judical conclusion that Annies statement is very clear and credable and that she is describing own experience