This training is designed to enhance the participant’s ability to speak to and for abused children.
Finding Words can be…
- Finding Words can be difficult for a child forced to tell a jury about abuse.
- Finding Words can be difficult for a child victimized by abuse. Conflicting emotions of fear and love for the perpetrator may cause a child to be reluctant to reveal abuse. If children try to speak of abuse, they may lack the verbal skills to adequately communicate the event to an adult.
- Finding Words can be difficult for a police officer, social worker or prosecutor who must speak to a child about abuse. In order to communicate competently with a child, the interviewer must speak in a manner consistent with the child’s linguistic and development abilities.
- Finding Words can be difficult for an investigator or prosecutor forced to defend an interview when defense counsel claims that the child was “led” into making a false accusation.
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office applies for CLE credit for this course through the Ohio Supreme Court, and the coursework has historically met criteria for continuing education credits through the Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage, Family, Therapists Board and for CPT credit hours for law enforcement.