Intergenerational history of abuse, neglect, abandonment
	Mental illness
	Substance abuse
	Domestic violence
	Transient lifestyle
	Repeated reports of abuse, neglect, abandonment of children
	Criminal history

PTSD

	nightmares,
	reocurring thoughts/feelings
	Startled responses
	Hypervigilant

Dissociation

	Trancing
	Amnesia
	Separate states
	Somatoform Dissociation-bodily complaints

Somatoform Dissociation

	Somataform Dissociation: Phenomena, Measurement & Theoretical Issues, Nijenhuis, E.R.S. 1999. Early works of Briquet (1859), Charcot (1877), Janet (1893):
	multiple medically unexplained & often chronic physical complaints
	Contemporary researchers: Ellenberger (1970), Hilgard (1977), Van der Hart (1989), Van der Kolk & Van der Hart (1989), Nijenhuis, (1990)

	Somatoform Dissociation: somato=body, form=mind
	SDQ-20; SDQ-5

Promiscuity & other sexualized problems

	Masturbation
	Sexually acting out with age mates
	Sexually perpetrating younger children, siblings

Conduct Problems & legal issues

	Fire setting
	Animal torture
	Aggression
	Preoccupation with guns, knives
	Shoplifting

	ADHD & learning problem
	Substance Abuse Problems
	Depression
	Anxiety
	Eating Disorders
	Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
	Borderline Personality Disorder
	Suicidal and self-destructive behaviors

	Picking sores
	Pulling hair out
	Cutting
	Overdose

	Dealing with a hyper-aroused child, a fearful child
	Questions set off alarm systems
	Be astute to child tuning out, not listening, trancing out

	Understand that child’s memory, feelings, thoughts, behavior related to the suspected abuse may be dissociated, and not related to false allegation, intentional misinformation, etc.
	Understand that child’s memory may contain degrees of amnesia, and information provided may have gaps, missing pieces
	Need to counteract suppression techniques-threats, etc.

	Need to protect the child, but child may need to be in safe place to be able to recall traumatic memories, improve memory, improve verbal & cognitive skills
	Be aware that vulnerable young children may include fantasy rescue scenarios as a way to defend against the feeling of being defenseless and vulnerable at the time of trauma

Deciphering between no abuse and dissociated traumatic memories through careful observation, collection of data from referral source, and ongoing collaboration with treatment team

	Protective service workers play a crucial role in the beginning process of a child’s recovery.
	Be on PAR with the child!

Interviewer Guidelines (State of Michigan Forensic Interviewing Protocol)

	Avoid wearing uniforms or having guns visible during the interview
	Convey & maintain a relaxed, friendly atmosphere
	Avoid touching the child
	Do not use bathroom breaks or drinks as reinforcement for cooperating during the interview
	Respect the child’s personal space in positioning yourself to the child, and staring at the child
	If child becomes upset, reassure child about feelings of fear, & embarrassment

Interviewer Guidelines

	Do not make promises, i.e., “Everything will be o.k.” “You will never have to talk about this again.”
	Do not make comments such as “good girl,” or “we’re buddies, aren’t we?”
	Do not use words “pretend,” “imagine,” or other words that may suggest fantasy or play
	Avoid asking questions about why the child behaved in a particular way, e.g., “Why didn’t you tell your mother that night?”
	Avoid correcting the child’s behavior unnecessarily during the interview-redirect child’s attention with meaningful explanations, e.g., “I have a little trouble hearing, so it helps me a lot if you look at me when you are talking so that I can hear you.”
	If you can’t understand what the child said, ask the child to repeat the comment with phrases, e.g., “What did you say?” instead of guessing.
	Be tolerate of pauses in conversation-time to formulate next question

Preparing the interview environment

	Room has minimal distractions
	Drawing paper & crayons
	Anatomical drawings & dolls

The introduction

	Brief; explain role- “I am a social worker that talks to kids about things that have happened to them.”
	Build a rapport

Begin on a positive note-inquire about child’s age, school, interests, who lives with the child

Legal Competency

Truth & lie question

Establishing the Ground Rules

	Explain if child may not understand a question to say so
	Explain that the child can say, “I don’t know,” when applicable

Completing Rapport Building with a Practice Interview

	Ask child about a recent event to elicit as much information about it.
	Use open-ended prompts, such as, “Tell me everything you can about that.”
	Invite child to be informative with comments such as, “Tell me everything that happened, even little things you don’t think are very important,” or “Tell me everything that happened, from the very beginning to the very end.”
	Interviewer can encourage child to talk with head nods, “Ohhhh,” partial repetitions of child’s last comment.
	Children who have little to say about specific events may be able to describe a repeated, scripted event

	Every morning when getting ready for school
	Favorite restaurant

Introducing the Topic

	Starts with the least suggestive prompts that might raise the topic of abuse, avoiding mention of particular individuals or events
	“Now that I know you a little better, it’s time to talk about something else. Do you know why you are here today?”
	“Now that we know each other a little better, I want to talk about the reason that you are here today. Tell me the reason you came to talk with me today.”
	“I understand someone has been bothering you

The Free Narrative

	Encourage the child to describe the events in his or her own words by using open-ended invitations such as, “Tell me everything you can about that.” “Then what?” “Tell me more about that.”
	“I talk with a lot of children about these sorts of things. It’s okay to tell me all about it, from the very beginning to the very end.”
	Be tolerant of pauses in the conversation
	If child becomes upset or non-responsive, acknowledge the child’s behavior & address it, but avoid extensive comments about it. “Can you tell me why you are crying.”

Questioning and Clarification

	Use the least suggestive question possible, working for a complete description of one event before shifting to a different topic.
	Ask questions that would elicit sensory information, i.e. look, smell, taste, etc.
	May have to ask questions in follow up contextual framework

Happened in bedroom, kitchen, living room

Frequency questions are difficult for a young child or a chronically abused child

Did it happen more than once?

	When asking the child to tell “everything,” be aware that delayed disclosure & disclosure in stages can occur
	If child talks about “grandpa,” ask if grandpa has another name
	Young children may stray off topic & begin to discuss other events

Clarify, e.g. “Are you talking about the time in the kitchen?”

	Complete information in one interview may not be possible
	Don’t assume that the child is being untruthful, if you do not get all details, or some discrepancies
	Make reference that all parts of child’s mind may know something about what happened
	Ask the child to go inside his mind to see if he can remember what happened next, etc.
	Be aware of own biases toward material reported (ritual abuse)
	Be aware of counter-transference issues-own history of trauma

Closure

	“Is there something else you’d like to tell me about____?”
	“Are there any questions you would like to ask me?”
	Thank the child for coming, but be careful not to specifically thank the child for disclosing the abuse.
	Do not make promises can’t keep-no more interviews about abuse
	Give your contact name & phone number in case they think of something they want to add.

Protective Service Interventions

	Collaborate closely with the treating therapist
	Develop a unified treatment plan to protect the child
	Understand that new information may be revealed at a latter date, and may require updated interviews, revised treatment plans

REFERRAL FOR MENTAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT ASAP!!!

	Every child in placement has been traumatized by the mere fact of placement, itself, regardless of how necessary.
	Every child in placement has suffered some degree of trauma as a result of some form of neglect, abuse, and/or abandonment, which caused placement.
	Be astute to symptoms commonly seen in traumatized children
	Safe & Protective Environment is crucial to recover & benefit from treatment
	Early intervention to process traumatic events is best form of prevention of future behavior and emotional problems