Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2015

Department

Department of Psychology

Abstract

This article reviews an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the NICHD Protocol, and the relevant research on: children’s memory development; communication; suggestibility; the importance of open-prompts, and challenges associated with interview training. We include international contributions from experienced trainers, practitioners, and scientists, who are already using the Protocol or whose national or regional procedures have been directly influenced by the NICHD Protocol research (Canada, Finland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, and United States). Throughout the review, these experts comment on: how and when the Protocol was adopted in their country; who uses it; challenges to implementation and translation; training procedures; and other pertinent aspects. We aim to further promote good interviewing practice by sharing the experiences of these experts. The NICHD Protocol can be easily incorporated into existing training programs worldwide and is available for free. It was originally developed in English and Hebrew and is available in several other languages at nichdprotocol.com.

Comments

This article first appeared in Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice 1.2 (2015), 76–89.

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