The NICHD interview protocol used by Dutch child protection workers: Effects on interview style, children's reported information and susceptibility to suggestion
Date
2022
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Applied Cognitive Psychology
Abstract
In the Netherlands, there is currently no quality standard for conducting child forensic interviews in Child Protective Services (CPS) . The lack of such standard causes
concern regarding the quality of these interviews, which are used to determine the
child's safety and implementing treatment. In the current study, we implemented the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol at Safe
Home, the Dutch national reporting agency for child abuse and domestic violence.
Professionals at Safe Home received a three-day training in the NICHD protocol with
regular follow-up feedback sessions. We compared 38 NICHD interviews with
30 control interviews on variables such as the type of questions asked, number of
reported words, and children's mood state. NICHD interviews contained more
invitations and fewer suggestive questions compared to non-standardized interviews.
Furthermore, children reported more information related to the reported incident
when they were interviewed with the NICHD protocol compared to control
interviews. After being interviewed, children reported a more positive mood state
independent of how they were interviewed (NICHD or control interview). Finally,
children interviewed with the NICHD protocol were less likely to succumb to suggestive probes provided after the interview than children in the control group. We argue
that child protection professionals need training in an evidence-based interview
protocol to improve fact-finding in CPS.
Description
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Article
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Keywords
forensic interview, child protection, investigation, NICHD protocol
Citation
Erens, B., Otgaar, H., de Ruiter, C., van Bragt, D., & Hershkowitz, I. (2022). The NICHD interview protocol used by Dutch child protection workers: Effects on interview style, children's reported information and susceptibility to suggestion. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 36(1), 7-18.