Children under the age of 18 (those that are verbal) who are alleged victims of sexual or physical abuse first come to Davis House for a forensic interview, which is designed to give the child a chance to tell their story in their own voice. The interviewer talks with the child in a non-leading, non-suggestive way. Conducting the interviews at Davis House ensures a child experiences a friendly, neutral setting. Our forensic interviewers are trained to conduct a thorough interview with as little further trauma to the child as possible.
This interview with the child is recorded to help minimize the number of times the child has to tell their story. If needed at a later time, the organizations directly involved in the investigation (members of the Child Protective Investigative Team only) are able to watch the recording rather than re-interview the child. This also helps greatly reduce further trauma to the child.
A law enforcement detective and a Department of Children’s Services investigator observe the interview live from our observation room on closed circuit TV. The investigators hear from the child’s perspective, in the child’s own words, what happened. The interview is recorded and, at the end of the session, becomes evidence in the case.