“Children’s House” Toward the Best Interest of the Child

Multiagency and Interdisciplinary Approach to Child Sexual Abuse

Bragi Guðbrandsson Trond Waage

An Overview of the Findings Procedural defaults • Lack of coordination/cooperation between the

different agencies involved Child Protection System, Police, Prosecution, Medical profession

• Lack of an interdisciplinary approach.

• Absence of appropriate guidelines in work practices

• Lack of personell with special training and specialization, especially in conducting investigative interviews

Violation of the child’s interest

• Investigation often generated painful experiences for the child victim

The child was subjected to

• repeated interviews

• by many interviewers

• in different locations dep. of social services, the police station, the hospital, private practice, the court etc.

• Re-victimisation, re-traumatization

• discrepancies in disclosure

• lack of appropriate assessment, support and treatment for the child victim

• lack of counselling and support to the victims family

The Children’s House primary guidelines

• UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, article 3.1

• In all action concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interest of the child shall be a primary consideration.

Multiagency Collaboration

• The Gov. Agency for Child Protection

• The State Police

• The State Prosecution

• Police Dep.

• The national and local health authorities and agencies including Dep. of Pediatrics and Dep. of child Psychiatry

• Local Social Services

• The Child Protection Services

Missions of the Children’s House

• to facilitate collaboration and coordination of the CPS, Police, Prosecution and the Medical profession in the investigation of child sexual abuse

• to provide a child friendly setting for joint investigative interviews and medical examination

• to ensure professional implementation of investigative interviews

Missions of the Childrens House

• to ensure that the child victim and his/her family receives appropriate assessment, treatment and support

• to establish professional work practices and guidelines by interdisciplinary cooperation

• to enhance specialized knowledge on child sexual abuse and to mediate that knowledge as appropriate to professionals and the public alike

Basic function: A Investigative Interviews • The importance of a child friendly setting

• The specialised interviewer a psychologist, a social worker, a criminologist

• The interview protocol (to avoid suggestibility and increase reliability)

• Specially designed interview room(closed circuit television)

• The video tape used for different purposes medical exams, assessment and therapy

• IT-link to the courthouse

Basic function: The Medical Examination

• At the request of the Police, the Child Protection System, the Child or the Parents

• Implemented by experienced paediatrician and a gynaecologist

• A child friendly examination room

• The use of video-colposcope and its therapeutic value

• Anaesthetization exceptional

Basic function: Victim therapy and family counselling • The child and the non-offending parent(s) receive

(legal) counselling immediately after the investigative interview

• Victim therapy can start soon after

• The videotaped childs disclosure is used for initial assessment and treatment plan

• Cognitive-behavioural therapy group therapy not yet established

• The therapist is most often important witness in court proceedings

Children's House

• An International movement

• Holistic approach

• The child in the centre