Episode 24 - Forensic Interviewer Skill Development with the National Children's Advocacy Center
Release Date: 08/05/2021
NRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: As professionals in the child abuse field, we all know that child sexual abuse has no boundaries. In the United States, CACs and MDTs are doing amazing and innovative work to provide a collaborative response to promote healing for children and families. But have you ever thought about the issue of child sexual abuse globally and how it affects middle and low-income countries? In this episode, Abbie Newman, RN, JD with Mission Kids Child Advocacy Center joins Tony to talk about the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN). She shares a...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: “The ultimate solution to burnout is not self-care. It’s caring for others and others caring for you.” There’s no denying that self-care is important. Eating healthy, exercising, and taking vacation days can reduce stress on the body. But it’s human connection and the relationships you have with others that make the difference. In this month’s episode, Tony speaks with Dr. Heather Forkey and Dr. Jessica Griffin with UMass Chan Medical School about a different approach to address secondary traumatic stress and burnout. During their conversation, they share with us...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: Child Advocacy Centers and Multidisciplinary teams are not immune from the race, power, and privilege that shapes the way we each experience the world. At Safe Horizon, the organization that operates the five CACs throughout New York City, the Racial Healing Response Team (RHRT) program has been implemented to address the racial harm that staff members may experience in the workplace. With the goal of offering staff support and healing, the RHRT responds in a variety of ways that center on respect, relationships, and community care. In this episode, Tony speaks with Dr....
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: What is organizational culture? Why should you focus on organizational culture? What is the value of investing in organizational culture? How does it relate to Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs)? In this episode, Tony speaks with Gene Klein, LCSW and Caren Dean with Project Harmony. During their conversation, they share how they navigated through periods of growth and change at Project Harmony. As a result, this led the CAC to focus on creating a positive organizational culture. Topics in this episode Project Harmony (3:29) Culture (5:08) Intentional Focus on Culture (7:28)...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: 1 in 10 people have been victims of sexual assault. Over 80% of these victims know their attacker. In almost 100% of these cases, the attacker uses a method called "grooming". In this episode, filmmaker and survivor Gwen van de Pas joins Tony to discuss the documentary film titled Groomed. Gwen takes us through her journey of making the movie, what she discovered about the grooming process, and the impact grooming has on survivors. If you haven't already watched the movie Groomed, it can be found on the streaming service discovery+. GUEST: Gwen van de Pas is a...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: The National Children’s Alliance (NCA) Standards of Accreditation help ensure that all children across the U.S. served by Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) receive consistent, evidence-based services that help them heal from abuse. The Standards for Accredited Members are reviewed through a process coordinated by the NCA Accreditation Department every five years, consistent with the five-year period after which reaccreditation is required. This is done to ensure the Standards reflect the latest evidence and practice. In this episode, Tony speaks with Alyson MacKenzie and...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: The Baystate Family Advocacy Center has an exciting new program funded from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) - Child Advocacy Training & Support (CATS) Center. The CATS Center establishes a national training center to provide Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) training, education, and technical assistance on trauma-informed care and evidence-based treatment for children and families. In this episode, Tony speaks with Kerri Bergendahl, LICSW and Jessica Wozniak, Psy.D. with the Baystate Family Advocacy Center on the...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: How do you define the role and responsibilities of Team Facilitator at your CAC? In this episode, Tony speaks with Sue, Vicky, and Brittnee on professionalizing the role of the Team Facilitator. They discuss the importance of the role moving beyond case review to having the role be viewed as more of a leadership position within the CAC. Furthermore, they share what was learned from a recent survey done as a collaborative project by the four Regional Children’s Advocacy Centers. GUESTS: Sue Ascione is a Training Specialist at the Northeast Regional Children’s...
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: When examining the multidisciplinary team response to child abuse in communities, there are two principles that I believe to must be considered. The first is that MDT’s are sophisticated and complex systems that are tasked with providing a coordinated and comprehensive response to child abuse. The second is that no single discipline on an MDT can adequately meet the needs of a victim of child abuse. One would think that such a system tasked with such an important mandate would have a clear leadership structure to ensure that the best possible services are being provided....
info_outlineNRCAC Team Talk
EPISODE SUMMARY: We all see the word hope in the vision statements, mission statements, and even within the name of some of our organizations. But what do we mean when we are using this word? My guest for this episode will help put hope in perspective. As a “Hope Scientist,” Dr. Ashley Cross joins the podcast to speak to us about The Science of Hope. As her website states: “Hope is more than a feeling; it is a science and a healing agent. Hope can heal the brain, restore the soul and give life meaning. Since hope a science, this means it can be taught, learned and restored. Hope is the...
info_outlineEPISODE SUMMARY:
In the final episode of the 4-part series on Skill Development for Forensic Interviewers, Tony speaks with Andra Chamberlin and Kim Madden from the National Children’s Advocacy Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Both Andra and Kim are trainers and forensic interview specialists with a wealth of experience in the child abuse field. During the conversation, Kim and Andra share their thoughts on the skills needed to be an effective forensic interviewer and how CACs and MDTs can develop a process to where interviews take the foundational knowledge gained during their initial training and build more formative knowledge around the skills needed to be effective.
GUESTS:
Andra Chamberlin: https://www.nationalcac.org/andra-k-chamberlin/
Kim Madden: https://www.nationalcac.org/kim-madden/
Topics
Forensic Interviewing
Peer Review for Forensic Interviewers
Coaching and Mentoring
Forensic Interviewing Skill Development
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES:
- National Children’s Advocacy Center Training Center: www.nationalcac.org
- NCAC Calio Library: www.calio.org
- Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center: www.nrcac.org
- Midwest Regional Children's Advocacy Center: www.mrcac.org
- Southern Regional Children's Advocacy Center: www.srcac.org
- Western Regional Children's Advocacy Center: www.westernregionalcac.org
Disclaimer: This project was sponsored by NRCAC from Grant Award Number 2019-CI-FX-K005 and CFDA #16.758 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, OJJDP or NRCAC.