62nd Annual Meeting

October 26 - 31, 2015

Workshop 15 (ticket)

Child Eyewitness Testimony: Can We Believe What Children Report In and Out of the Courtroom?

As mandated reporters, child and adolescent psychiatrists need to be comfortable in dealing with a child’s allegations of abuse and better understand the position of the child during an investigation. It is important to know what research reports about the suggestibility of children and how this research may or may not be applicable to an actual investigation of child sexual abuse. Attendees learn how to interact and communicate with other systems of care personnel, such as teachers, police, and child protective services, who may be involved following an allegation of abuse; and better understand their role with a child once an allegation of abuse has surfaced and the importance of and proper method for preserving and memorializing the account of the child.