Recommendations for eliciting a disclosure of abuse from a young child
Date
2007
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Publisher
Australian Police Journal
Abstract
The act of eliciting reliable and detailed information from a young child about abuse is a
complex process. While children as young as four years of age are able to give detailed and
accurate disclosures of offences, a wide range of factors determines the outcome of any investigative interview. Some of these factors include: the physical, mental and emotional state of the child at the time of the abuse and the interview; the nature of the event being recalled and contextual factors related to the interview setting. In particular, children’s social skills and linguistic capacity have a large impact on their ability to understand questions, to remember details and to provide reliable answers. However, regardless of the child’s age or developmental level, the onus always rests on the interviewer to acknowledge the child’s abilities and limitations and to use appropriate questions to elicit the most accurate and reliable account. Thus, the aim of this article is to offer some practical, evidence-based strategies that may assist investigative interviewers in eliciting disclosure of abuse from young children (i.e. 4 to 12-year olds), while minimizing the risk of either eliciting a false account or failing to elicit a disclosure at all. Specifically, this article outlines five broad recommendations, which reflect both current research and our practical experience critiquing field and moch interviews with children and analyzing the problems that frequently arise in these interviews. (Author Introduction)
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Keywords
child abuse, interviewing, International Resources, Australia
Citation
Powell, Martine ; Snow, Pamela. (2007). Recommendations for eliciting a disclosure of abuse from a young child. Australian Police Journal, (June), 76-78.