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necessary to leave it out. Explain to the child that you understand his or her difficulty and that you
can talk about it later, either during the same interview or at another time.
h) The interviewer must be prepared to recognize when the child’s limits have been reached. Take a
break or postpone an interview if there are persistent signs of anxiety.
i) Be aware that you may have to use alternative ways of gathering evidence such as: seeking
information from family members or adult caregivers rather than the child; gathering information on
the situation of children in the country of origin; obtaining expert evidence from a physician, a
child psychologist or a social worker.
j) The interview should be concluded with a discussion about more normal present-day events which
restore a sense of security. The child will need time after the interview to restore his or her coping
abilities (e.g. interviews should not be conducted before the child is likely to be going to bed, and
preferably they should not be held during school hours).
Points to Remember
• familiarize yourself with relevant sources of information concerning refugee children including
protection guidelines and country of origin information;
• employ the eligibility criteria relating to “family unity”;
• ensure that refugee applicants who are children gain access to an interview and that, if possible,
the interviewer and interpreter share the culture and language of the refugee child;
• as necessary, seek the advice of an expert with sufficient experience and knowledge of the
psychological, emotional and physical development and behaviour of children, and ensure that
unaccompanied children are represented by a legal guardian;
• before the interview begins, explain the process to the refugee child. Take your time during the
interview and adopt appropriate interviewing techniques;
• familiarize yourself with alternative ways of gathering information including country of origin
research, expert advice, seeking information from family members or adult caregivers, etc.
Chapter 6 The Outcome of the Interview
In this Chapter you will learn:
basic tasks and objectives;
documenting the interview;
assessing credibility;
preparing the assessment and your conclusions.
In the course of this Training Module we have examined how to prepare for and conduct an
interview, and we have reviewed a number of specific problems that an interviewer is likely to
encounter, suggesting ways of overcoming them. In order to conduct a thorough and
well-prepared interview a number of tasks must be undertaken. These include documenting the
interview, assessing credibility, and presenting a reasoned conclusion. There is no single method
or technique to fulfill these tasks. Conducting refugee determination interviews in an efficient and
careful manner requires practice, good supervision and doing one’s homework.
After conducting a number of interviews with asylum seekers, the interviewer will develop his or
her own technique and style of asking questions. Successful interviews are those in which all the