Interviewing Child Witnesses under the Memorandum of Good ...

PLANNING THE INTERVIEW
3. Planning the interview
When planning an interview, a range of issues, other than those purely concerned
with the interview, need to be taken into account. This will maximise the chances
of the interview being successful. This section discusses the following:
● differences in childrens’ disclosure of abuse;
● issues to consider when preparing the child for the interview;
● relevant characteristics of the child and family background; and,
● the influence of the interviewer on testimony.
Differences in childrens’ disclosure of abuse
Reviews of the Memorandum have argued that the existing guidance does not
sufficiently describe the conditions, situations and children for whom Memorandum
interviewing should be used. The videotaping of every investigative interview with
a child is neither resource -sustainable nor desirable, and local practices mean that
the number of video interviews vary widely. This important area is underresearched,
but preliminary findings have confirmed what most practitioners
already know: the process of disclosure among children is frequently complex and
idiosyncratic.
When planning an interview, police officers and social workers should pay
attention to the findings of research that has shown that abused children are very
different in the way they disclose. This is important in order to ensure that
interviewers tailor their approach to the individual child in question. For example,
● disclosure can be ‘accidental’ (and non-verbal, e.g. through behaviour) or
deliberate (and verbal);
● children, especially young children, are not always the instigators of an
allegation or investigation (there may be a medical query, witness reports, or a
confession);
● children may not report all details of their abuse at once, and may deliberately
withhold or minimise the information they provide;
● children may report their abuse immediately or delay reporting for long periods
of time (i.e. years);
● a number of children will deny abuse or later retract their disclosure, even if
other evidence exists;
● the presence of a previous informal disclosure does not guarantee a formal
disclosure in an investigative interview, but there may be a relationship between
prior disclosure or non-disclosure and disclosure/non-disclosure in the
investigative interview;
● many factors including age and culture may influence childrens’ willingness or
ability to disclose abuse; and,
● even if children tell, they may not anticipate professional intervention.
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