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The NICHD protocol: a review of an internationally-used evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers

David La Rooy (Abertay University and Scottish Institute for Policing Research, Dundee Scotland, UK.)
Sonja P Brubacher (Centre for Investigative Interviewing, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia.)
Anu Aromäki-Stratos (Forensic Psychiatry Unit for Children and Adolescents, Intermunicipal Hospital District of Southwest Finland, Turku, Finland.)
Mireille Cyr (Département de Psychologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Canada)
Irit Hershkowitz (University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.)
Julia Korkman (Åbo Akademi University, Helsinki, Finland AND Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.)
Trond Myklebust (Research Department, Norwegian Police University College, Oslo, Norway.)
Makiko Naka (Department of Psychology, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.)
Carlos E. Peixoto (Forensic Psychology, Psicólogo Forense, Portugal.)
Kim P Roberts (Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Canada)
Heather Stewart (Avenues Children’s Justice Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.)
Michael E Lamb (Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.)

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice

ISSN: 2056-3841

Article publication date: 8 June 2015

1689

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to review an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Protocol (NICHD Protocol), with a specific focus on how the Protocol is being adapted in various countries.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors 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 USA). Throughout the review, these experts comment on: how and when the Protocol was adopted in their country; who uses it; training procedures; challenges to implementation and translation; and other pertinent aspects. The authors aim to further promote good interviewing practice by sharing the experiences of these international experts.

Findings

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.

Originality/value

This paper reviews an evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers called the NICHD Protocol. It has been extensively studied and reviewed over the past 20 years. This paper is unique in that it brings together practitioners who are actually responsible for training forensic interviewers and conducting forensic interviews from all around the world.

Keywords

Citation

La Rooy, D., Brubacher, S.P., Aromäki-Stratos, A., Cyr, M., Hershkowitz, I., Korkman, J., Myklebust, T., Naka, M., Peixoto, C.E., Roberts, K.P., Stewart, H. and Lamb, M.E. (2015), "The NICHD protocol: a review of an internationally-used evidence-based tool for training child forensic interviewers", Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 76-89. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-01-2015-0001

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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