START FROM THE BEGINNING Incorporating Narrative AND TELL ME - - PDF document

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Incorporating Narrative Practice in Child Forensic Interviews

“START FROM THE BEGINNING AND TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU REMEMBER”

WHERE ARE WE HEADED TODAY? § Understanding Narrative Practice: What, Why, & How § Practice Makes (Narrative) Practice § Reflection, Questions, Wrap-Up

Questions, Wrap-Up

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What is it? Why do it? And how?

UNDERSTANDING NARRATIVE PRACTICE

¡ Also known as practice narratives, practice interview, narrative training, or episodic memory training ¡ A “critical component of the forensic interview” which “consists of asking the child to tell about a neutral or positive event in a way that maximizes

• pen-ended questioning and encourages narrative

responses.” (APSAC, 2012, p. 18)

WHAT IS NARRATIVE PRACTICE?

3/28/18 3 ¡ Because there is agreement in the field ¡ To align your practice with best practice recommendations

§ APSAC Guidelines § OJJDP White Paper

WHY DO NARRATIVE PRACTICE?

¡ Because it’s in your protocol

§ Child First § NCAC § CornerHouse § RADAR § NICHD § 10 Step Investigative Interview

¡ Because research supports it

§ See NCAC’s annotated bibliography (NCAC, 2016)

WHY DO NARRATIVE PRACTICE?

3/28/18 4 ¡ A forensic interview is a novel experience for most children

§ Uninformed adult § Power dynamics § Usual “rules” of conversation do not apply

(Steele & NCAC, 2010)

HOW DOES IT HELP?

¡ Child practices remembering information

§ Retrieving § Recounting

¡ Interviewer practices using question types

§ Narrative invitations § Open-ended questions § Detail (WH) questions

(Roberts, Brubacher, Powell, & Price, 2011)

HOW DOES IT HELP?

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¡ Informs the child about the interview

§ What type of information the interviewer wants to know (i.e. what is forensically relevant) § How to communicate it (i.e. child does most of the talking and shares details they remember)

(APSAC, 2012)

HOW DOES IT HELP?

¡ Informs the interviewer about the child

§ Development and abilities § Speech patterns § Willingness to engage § Response patterns to different types of questions § Testimonial competency (ability to accurately perceive, remember, and communicate about an event)

(APSAC, 2012)

HOW DOES IT HELP?

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Substantial research shows that children provide longer and more detailed responses in the substantive (allegation) phase when narrative practice is part of the rapport-building phase.

THE BOTTOM LINE

(Newlin, et. al., 2015; Roberts, Brubacher, Powell, & Price, 2011; Saywitz, Lyon, & Goodman, 2018; Steele & NCAC, 2010)

¡ Early in the interview

§ During the rapport-building phase § Prior to transitioning to the topic of concern § Refer to your forensic interviewing protocol or model for specific guidance

¡ Rapport-building ≠ Narrative practice

WHEN & HOW DO I DO IT?

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Non-narrative Rapport Building vs. Narrative Practice

¡ Common topics for narrative practice (APSAC, 2012)

§ Something mentioned by child or shared by caregiver prior to the interview

§ Interest § Activity § Recent event

§ Last birthday § What the child did prior to arriving at CAC

¡ AVOID topics involving the setting or people indicated in the allegation ¡ Five minutes should be long enough (Saywitz, Lyon, &

Goodman, 2018)

WHEN & HOW DO I DO IT?

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VIDEO

Narrative Practice in NCAC’s Preschool Interview Structure (2014, p. 1) § Don’t try to get sequence § Ask about a topic that you know they know something about

§ Daily routine § Favorite activity reported by caregiver

§ Use their language

WHEN & HOW DO I DO IT?

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VIDEO

§ Child transitions to allegation before you initiate narrative practice § Child has communication differences or disability § Other situations? § Ask yourself:

§ Do I have a reason to skip it? § Can I justify my decision in court if needed?

WHEN IS IT OK TO SKIP NARRATIVE PRACTICE?

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Put your skills to the test!

PRACTICE MAKES (NARRATIVE) PRACTICE

NARRATIVE PRACTICE PARTNER EXERCISE

¡ Two minutes: Find a Partner

§ Someone you don’t know or don’t know well; NOT a colleague § Decide who will be in the role of the forensic interviewer first (Partner A) and who will be interviewed first (Partner B)

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NARRATIVE PRACTICE PARTNER EXERCISE

¡ Five minutes: Choose Your Own Adventure

§ Option One: Use one of the child profile examples § Option Two: Get creative and come up with your own “character” § Option Three: Be yourself

¡ SEE HANDOUT

REFLECTION, QUESTIONS, & WRAP UP

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American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (2012). Practice guidelines: Forensic interviewing in cases of suspected child abuse. Elmhurst, IL: Author. Cordisco Steele, L., & National Children’s Advocacy Center (2010). Narrative practice (What is it and why is it important?): A research-to-practice summary. Huntsville, AL: National Children’s Advocacy Center. National Children’s Advocacy Center (2014). Pre-School Interview Structure. Huntsville, AL: Author. National Children’s Advocacy Center (2016). Narrative practice in forensic interviews of children: A selected bibliography. Huntsville, AL: Author. Newlin, C., Cordisco Steele, L., Chamberlin, A., Anderson, J., Kenniston, J., Stewart, H., & Vaughan-Eden, V. (2015). Child forensic interviewing: Best practices. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Juvenile Justice Bulletin. Laurel, MD: OJJDP. Roberts, K.P., Brubacher, S.P., Powell, M.B., & Price, H.L. (2011). Practice narratives. In M.E. Lamb, D.J. La Rooy, L.C. Malloy, & C. Katz (Eds.), Children’s testimony: A handbook of psychological research and forensic practice (2 n d ed.),(pp. 129-146). West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Saywitz, K.J., Lyon, T.D., & Goodman, G.S. (2018). When interviewing children: A review and

• update. In J.B. Klika & J.R. Conte (Eds.), The APSAC handbook on child maltreatment (4 t h

ed.), (pp. 310-329). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.

REFERENCES

Lydia Johnson Grady, MSW, LSW ljohnsongrady@gmail.com 304.704.5677

CONTACT INFORMATION