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A Day in the Life of a Forensic Interviewer

Forensic Interviewers are Child Advocacy Center (CAC) staff members who are specially trained to
speak to children about allegations of abuse. They serve as intermediaries, conducting Forensic
Interviews (FI) for Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) partners, ensuring they get the most accurate and comprehensive information possible regarding allegations of abuse, supporting more effective
investigations and prosecutions by law enforcement and child protective partners.

The life of a Forensic Interviewer is often fast-paced and unpredictable, so I start my morning with copious amounts of caffeine. I wear multiple hats throughout the day, and at times I have to be a coordinator, communicator, mediator, counselor and facilitator. The one guarantee in the day of the forensic interviewer is that no day is ever the same and flexibility is your friend. Though there are days communication between MDT partners appears to mimic traders on the floor of the Stock Exchange, at the end of the day, we share the same focus: the best outcome for our children and families.

Upon entering the agency, I head straight for my desk to check emails, voicemails, and the FI calendar. It’s a Monday, so I’m checking the day’s appointments and scanning emails from MDT partners for any emergency additions that came in over the weekend. I triage all of this into emergent and non-emergent categories, responding to the emergent emails and calls and moving the non-emergent items to my ever-growing “To Do” list. After another sip (or perhaps a refill) of coffee, I begin sending out reminders to MDT partners regarding scheduled FIs for the week.

We have a 10:00 FI on the schedule for this morning, so I head to the CAC observation room to review any Recorded FIs from the weekend or overnight (depending on the day). After, I check interview rooms, playroom, and observation room for equipment check, tidiness and all lights are turned on in preparation for the day’s interviews.

For each Forensic Interview, we conduct pre- and post-Forensic Interview Coordination Meetings, generally about 30 minutes before the family arrives. It is my responsibility to coordinate and facilitate these meetings to ensure that all information is shared and identifying any additional informational needs of the partners. It is my responsibility to facilitate these meetings.

I begin by providing a ten minute round up call to the MDT investigative partners involved in the case, to ensure everyone is present for the pre-FI Meeting. Once all the partners are present, the meeting begins. We discuss how the case was reported, who the child has told about the abuse, the caregiver’s supportiveness, and any other concerns that might impact the interview and investigation. All of this takes 10-20 minutes.

Once the family arrives, the family is greeted briefly by their Advocate. The investigative team meets briefly with the non-offending caregiver to explain the interview process, and then the interview with the child begins. For this interview, I will be the one speaking with the child, and CPS and SVS will watch through a closed-circuit feed in the Observation Room.

My focus now solely on the child, I begin working my way through the stages of the Forensic Interview. I introduce myself; go through the guidelines, making sure the child understands; build rapport by talking about the child’s school day; all the while taking note of the child’s developmental capacity, use of language, comfort level and body language. I remain neutral as the child tells me about her abuse, following up with “tell me more about…” prompts to ensure I (and the MDT partners on the other side of the wall) have a complete picture of the child’s disclosure.

Once I think I have everything, we take a break and go back to Observation Room to discuss the FI with the partners and to see if further clarification is required. The partners assure me that no further information is necessary, and I go back in to thank the child for speaking to me and walk her back to the waiting room.

Finally, with the FI completed I meet with MDT Partners to conduct Post-FI regarding the case to discuss the needs for the ongoing investigative process. In the post-Forensic Interview Meeting, we discuss the child’s disclosure and what additional information is required or helpful to corroborate the story. We discuss and make a plan for the safety concerns for the child and discuss these plans with the non-offending caregiver.

Following the interview, I have some down time, so I circle back and begin organizing cases in our tracking system, double-checking on upcoming cases for Case Review, scheduled FIs, and Medical appointments. However, the schedule is subject to change without notice, and today is no different. After sitting down at my desk and logging on to my computer, I’m whisked away by a partner to be advised of an unscheduled case and emergency interview. I have to quickly switch tracks and begin another pre-FI Meeting; letting the Reception Staff know the family is coming in. As is part of my routine, I grab my favorite big crayons and construction paper, only to be told “child” is 15. Stop, rewind, and exchange big crayons for a colored pen and change construction paper to plain white sheets.

After the FI is complete, I take time to refocus, snatch a bottle of water to remain hydrated, and start working on my “To Do” list. The end of day is near, when the phone rings, and our SVS partners let me know that we have another case coming in. bringing in another new case, and family for an evening FI. Yes, folks, the process begins all over again.

~ Rosana, Forensic Interviewer

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