When you arrive at our child-friendly center a staff member will greet you and help you to get settled in our living room. The Center is located in a red, brick house which was built in 1890, and we have done our best to make it a warm and welcoming environment. In our living room we have toys, games, and books for children of all ages. We also provide drinks and snacks for you or your child.
Once you are settled, the forensic interviewer and other professionals involved (Department of Human Services and/or law enforcement officer) will meet with you to explain the process and answer any questions you might have.
While your child is being interviewed you will receive support from a Family Support Worker who will provide emotional support, information about the system, education, referrals to therapists and any other services needed, including information about victim’s compensation.
CAC Forensic Interviewers have advanced training and are experts at interviewing children of all ages. The interviews proceed at the child’s pace and are conducted in a non-threatening and developmentally appropriate manner. The interviews take place in a comfortable and child-friendly room, which minimizes the stress to the child and allows the interviewer to gather accurate information regarding the allegations.
You will have a post-interview discussion with the investigators involved. At this time, they will outline the next steps. They will answer your questions, address your concerns, and let you know what you need to do next. Your Family Support Worker will follow up with you and continue to support you as needed.
All interviews are recorded on DVDs. This is done in an effort to minimize the number of people your child has to speak with regarding the concerns. The information obtained is kept by Social Services and law enforcement. The average length of a visit to the Center is approximately two hours.
How to prepare your child
DO
- Tell your child they will be visiting a house and talking to a person whose job it is to talk with kids/teenagers.
- Give your child permission to talk with the interviewers
- Tell your child it is a safe place to talk about anything, even if they have never told you
DON’T
- Ask your child questions about the allegations
- Tell your child what to say
- Promise treats or rewards to your child for talking
- Try to answer questions you don’t have the answers for
If your child brings up the allegations to you, let them know that what they have to say is very important, and you will be taking them to a house to talk with a person more about what happened and it is OKAY to tell that person everything. Although as the child’s caregiver, it is natural to want to ask your child questions about the details of the alleged incident, please try to refrain. Sometimes it can be more difficult to talk to a caregiver about the details of sexual abuse because the child may worry about making you upset, disappointing you, etc. In addition, speaking with young children about alleged incidents in a leading way has the potential to contaminate their statements.
