This guide is primarily for police officers and senior social workers who arrange and conduct Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interviews, also known as video recorded interviews (VRIs) during criminal investigations into child sexual abuse.
It is also relevant to any other professionals supporting the child around the time that an ABE interview is conducted, to help them understand what will happen.
What happens in a formal interview?
During a criminal investigation into concerns of child sexual abuse, the police may decide to ask the child to take part in a formal interview (an Achieving Best Evidence video recorded interview). When a child is formally interviewed:
- the child will be briefly questioned to give a brief account before the interview. A more detailed account is taken in the interview.
- interviewers should have completed ABE interview training.
- the interview should follow Achieving Best Evidence Guidelines. Deviation from the guidance may affect the admissibility of the interview as evidence and the weight of the evidence in court.
- the MoJ guidance states that, where a full criminal investigation is carried out, the police are responsible for any investigative interview – but the police should not necessarily lead the interview.
- provided that both the Officer in the Case and the child’s social worker have received up-to-date interview training, either of them can lead, depending on which is able to establish the best rapport with the child.
How may the child be feeling?
Faced with a formal interview, the child may experience feelings such as:
- trauma and embarrassment at having to recount events.
- relief that someone is going to listen to them and take them seriously.
- anxiety that everyone will know what happened to them.
- anger, especially if they do not consider themselves to have been abused.
- uncertainty about what is expected of them.
Their feelings before and during the interview will depend largely on the information they are given in advance and the way the interview is conducted.
“[The police] make you feel dead welcome, try and make you not feel scared as you go in [to do the interview] and I think that’s really important.”
“They spoke to me about what would happen in the ABE interview … They said I could stop the interview at any time or my [voluntary agency] worker could stop it if she felt it was getting too much for me.”
“The hardest thing about that was having to go into a lot of detail, because you have to literally explain everything down to a tee and obviously being a teenager, it was a bit embarrassing talking to a random person about it.”
“It was a good experience because they wanted to know everything that happened and I felt that was, like nice at least … they wanted to help and listen. It’s a nice feeling like, at least someone wants to help.”
“They speak in police language, not normal language. It is hard to understand.”
“I have some learning difficulties and sometimes find it hard to understand things. I wanted my mother to be there but they said I was old enough to talk to them myself.”
There are many ways to help the child:
- Find out how the child prefers to communicate, and what their communication needs are.
- Check that the child and their parent(s) know what will happen, and find out how they feel about it.
- Before an ABE interview can take place, the child (or, if the child lacks capacity, their parent(s)) must freely give their consent to it.
- Decide who will lead the interview, and who else will be present.
- Consider the timing of the interview in relation to a paediatric medical examination.
- Decide where to hold the interview and try to ensure that the interview takes place in a child-friendly environment.
- Think about how the child will get to the interview.
- Be clear what the interview aims to achieve.
- Tell other professionals about the interview.
There are many ways to help the child during the interview:
- You should follow ABE guidelines at all times during the interview – it is design to support the child and be legally safe.
- consider diversity and how personal characteristics might increase vulnerability and shape the response to child sexual abuse.
- Be child-centred throughout the interview.
- Consider the child's communication needs.
- Remember that the child may find it difficult to tell about the abuse.
- Telling is a process, not an event. They may take some time to say everything.
- Reassure the child that what they say will be taken seriously and only people who need to know, will know.
- Let them know how they will be protected and what will happen next.
Following the interview:
- Consider what steps need to be taken to protect the child (if any).
- Talk to the child’s non-abusing parent(s) about what was said in the interview, as agreed with the child.
- Share relevant information with the social worker (if not involved in the interview).
- Secure any evidence.
- Consider whether the child needs a medical assessment or examination.
- Consider whether the child needs and is ready for therapeutic support.
While you are supporting the child and their family, make sure that you and other professionals are receiving enough support, through supervision and/or peer support.