Interviewing allegedly abused children

Abstract

Abstract The article gives practical advice about how to conduct initial interviews with children who it is believed may be the subject of abuse. It is relevant for fieldworkers on standby, intake and generic social work teams but also has relevance for residential child care staff, specialist child care workers and social workers involved in fostering and adoption. It was written as notes for practice guidance to accompany a training course for social work staff on work with abused children, and a number of agencies have used these notes in their training of staff. They are borne of experience, learnt the hard way, about how to tackle the variety of difficulties posed by talking to traumatised, afraid and anxious children; and in these situations there are no sure-fire approaches or certainties and no substitutes for hard work, or effort and patience.