“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