Finding Words Missouri

Interviewing and Preparing Children for Court

 

Presented by the Children's Advocacy Center of East Central Missouri and select

Finding Words Missouri Faculty in collaboration with the

American Prosecutor's Research Institute's (APRI)

National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse and CornerHouse.

 

The Finding Words Missouri Faculty is made up of individuals from various Missouri agencies in support of this project:

Children's Advocacy Center of East Central Missouri;

Child Advocacy Center, Inc. (Springfield, MO);

East Central College (Union, MO); and

Missouri State Technical Assistance Team (Jefferson City, MO)

 

Funding for this training was made available through grants provided by

The Missouri Task Force on Children's Justice and

The US Department of Justice, Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Interviewing and Preparing Children For Court

 

Finding

Words can be difficult for a child victimized by abuse. Conflicting emotions of fear and love for the perpetrator may cause a child to be reluctant to reveal abuse. If a child tries to speak of abuse, he or she may lack the verbal skills to adequately communicate the event to an adult.

Finding

Words can be difficult for a police officer, social worker or prosecutor who must speak to a child about abuse. In order to communicate competently with a child, the interviewer must be able to speak to child about abuse. In order to communicate competently with a child, the interviewer must be able to speak in a manner consistent with the child's linguistic and developmental abilities.

Finding

Words can be difficult for a child forced to tell a jury about abuse.

Finding

Words can be difficult for an investigator or prosecutor forced to defend an interview from an attack by defense counsel that the child was "lead" into making a false accusation.

Finding

Words is a course designed by APRI's National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse in collaboration with CornerHouse, a non-profit interagency child abuse evaluation and training center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Finding

Words is a blueprint for Finding Words Missouri. The Children's Advocacy Center of East Central Missouri was selected by APRI and CornerHouse to coordinate and host this training in collaboration with several Missouri entities including: Child Advocacy Center, Inc., Missouri State Technical Assistance Team, Jefferson County Prosecutor's Office and the St. Francois County Prosecutor's Office.

Finding

Words is an intensive five day course in which students learn the necessary skills to conduct a competent, investigation of a child abuse victim.

Finding

Words is an interactive course which combines lectures with demonstrations and hands on experience. Students will be required to interview a child about a non-abuse event and also conduct a 30 minute interview with an actor/actress playing the role of an abused child. In both exercises, the student will be offered feedback by fellow students and a course instructor.

Finding

Words is the ideal course for forensic interviewers, child abuse investigators, and prosecutors seeking to enhance their ability to speak to and for abused children.

Application Deadlines:  Applications must be returned by February 6, 2004 for March session; by April 23, 2004 for the June session; and by August 20, 2004 for the October session.  Participants will be notified of their acceptance by mail the following week.

Training Location: The course will be conducted at the Regional Training Center on the East Central College campus in Union, MO.