Investigative Interviews of Children: A Guide for Helping Professionals [Paperback]

Debra A. Poole (Author), Michael E. Lamb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1998 | ISBN-10: 1557986843 | ISBN-13: 978-1557986849 | Edition: 1

Interviewing children for investigative purposes is a specialized skill. Professional interviewers need to be able to conduct interviews that bear scrutiny from outside agencies and also serve the best interests of children. In clear, engaging language, this eye-opening book corrects the common misunderstandings about adult-child conversational exchanges and provides guidelines for interviews, based on the most up-to-date research. It also presents a flexible interview protocol that can be tailored to meet individual needs. Topics discussed include The current child protection crisis The difficulties of investigating alleged abuse cases Children's strengths and weaknesses as interviewees Characteristics of the most respected interview protocols Children's language development and understanding of "interview rules" Ancillary techniques, such as the use of drawings and anatomically detailed dolls How to improve one's decision-making skills How to stay abreast of the latest research and techniques The principles outlined in his book can be generalized to a variety of situations in which the interviewer wishes to gather information untainted by the dynamics of adult-child questioning. Thus, Investigative Interviews of Children will be invaluable not only to child protection workers, lawyers, law enforcement officers, and psychologists, but also to other mental health professionals, educators, and parents.

Product Details

• Paperback: 295 pages
• Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA); 1 edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557986843
• ISBN-13: 978-1557986849
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #754,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Law > Procedures & Litigation > Witnesses
  • #60 in Books > Law > Family & Health Law > Child Advocacy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Reading for Social Workers, March 26, 2002

By 

qulteresq "quilteresq" (NH US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Investigative Interviews of Children: A Guide for Helping Professionals (Hardcover)

Speaking as a child abuse defense attorney, life would be much easier if social workers would learn the mistakes they can make resulting in false disclosures of child abuse. My job would be much easier if the results of these interviews were more reliable. This book shows how and why social workers need to use proper interview techniques. It's a great book from a defense attorney's standpoint to cross-examine a social worker with, but if every state mandated this book as training for social workers in the first place, we would have fewer cases in the system, and more reliable evidence.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book for current interview protocols, January 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Investigative Interviews of Children: A Guide for Helping Professionals (Hardcover)

I wish I had read this book the first day it came out. Very good protocols. Very effective strategies. Speaking as a law enforcement investigator assigned to these cases almost exclusively, there is not a better book I've found yet.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent book, January 22, 2009

By 

A. Collins (SC, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Investigative Interviews of Children: A Guide for Helping Professionals (Paperback)

This book is excellent; not only for the professional that deals with children & legal cases involving children but also for anyone that needs to understand the reason why such professionals question children the way they do.