Assessing Children’s Statements for Investigative and Court Purposes (Part 1 of 2)

This session includes techniques forensic interviewers, child abuse investigators and legal professionals can use to evaluate the child’s interview based upon his or her statements, behaviors and emotions. While no single factor or characteristic is indicative of abuse, interviewers can utilize several factors within the interview itself to assess the reliability and credibility of a child’s report.

Such information may be used to explain the results of an interview in court, or may be used to guide the team members in establishing corroborative factors to support the child’s interview statements.