Warning over repeated interviewing of children in abuse cases

The repetitive interviewing of a child who is believed to have been sexually abused can cause confusion and contaminate the child’s story, according to experts speaking at a national conference yesterday.

This can then result in inconsistencies, potentially undermining the credibility of the child’s account and add to their trauma.

The event, a joint Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin (OLCHC) initiative, focused on how professionals working in the area of child sexual abuse could improve processes in systems that respond to child sexual abuse concerns. It also explored how professionals can address conflicting obligations to provide a sensitive response to children and families.