In Belgium, police officers are obliged to attend advanced training in interviewing children. Research suggests training is not sufficient to acquire and maintain skills, but follow-up is also required. The present study aims to examine the influence of the type of follow-up (individual follow-up, collective follow-up and no follow-up) on the overall quality of procedure in interviewing children.* Results show that police officers receiving individual follow-up perform significantly better in comparison with those who have received collective follow-up or no follow-up at all.
AldridgeJ. (1992) ‘Training for Professionals Dealing with Child Witnesses’, in DentH.FlinR. (eds), Children as Witnesses. Chichester: Wiley.
2.
Belgian Penal Code [SWB=Strafwetboek].
3.
BogaertsS.Van BeekG.VervaekeG.GoethalsJ.Van de PlasM. (2000) ‘Onderzoek naar de praktijkeffectiviteit van een voortgezette opleiding in de basisverhoortechniek: Eindrapport’ [Study of the Practice Effectiveness of Continued Training in the Basics of Hearing Techniques: Final Report], unpublished research report, Faculty of Law, Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Criminology, University of Leuven.
4.
CederborgA.OrbachY.SternbergK.J.LambM.E. (2000) ‘Investigative Interviews of Child Witnesses in Sweden’Child Abuses & Neglect24(10): 1355–61.
5.
DaviesG.MarshallE.RobertsonN. (1998) ‘Child Abuse: Training Investigating Officers’Police Research Series Paper 94. London: Home Office.
6.
DaviesG.M.WestcottH.L. (1999) ‘Interviewing Child Witnesses under the Memorandum of Good Practice: A Research Review’Police Research Series Paper 115. London: Home Office.
7.
DaviesG.WilsonC.MitchellR.MilsomJ. (1995) ‘Videotaping Children's Evidence: An Evaluation’ Research Findings No. 20. London: Home Office Research and Statistics Department.
8.
De ConinckD. (2004a) Dode Getuigen: Dertig mensen die niet zullen spreken op het proces Dutroux [Dead Witnesses: People who Won't be Speaking in the Dutroux Case]. Antwerp: Houtekiet.
9.
De ConinckD. (2004b) Marc Dutroux: Het stilste jongentje van de klas [Marc Dutroux: The Most Silent Boy in Class]. Antwerp: Houtekiet.
10.
DentH.R.StephensonG.M. (1979) ‘An Experimental Study of the Effectiveness of Different Techniques of Questioning Child Witnesses’British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology18: 41–51.
11.
De WiestH. (1999). Het gerechtelijk verhoor van kinderen: Een zicht op de praktijk [The Judicial Interview of Children: A View of the Practice]. Antwerp: Maklu.
12.
GudjonssonG.H. (2003) The Psychology of Interrogations and Confessions: A Handbook. London: Wiley.
13.
DommicentJ. (2004–2005) ‘Techniek Audiovisueel verhoor Minderjarigen, opleiding en opvolging van de verhoorders: Een evaluatie’ [Audiovisual Technique for Interviewing Minors, Training and Follow-up of the Interviewers: An Evaluation], unpublished thesis, University of Leuven.
14.
Dommicent, J., DGJ, DJG and GWSC (2005) Evaluatie van opleiding kinderverhoor in België en van types van opvolging aan kinderverhoorders (deelonderzoek Vlaanderen): Eindrapport januari 2005 [Evaluation of Training for Child-Interviewing in Belgium and Types of Follow-up of Child-Interviewers (Partial Research Vlaanderen): Final Report January 2005], internal document.
15.
LambM.E.HershkowitzI.SternbergK.J.EsplinP.W.HovavM.ManorT.YudilevitchL. (1996) ‘Effects of Investigative Utterance Types on Israeli Children's Responses’International Journal of Behavioral Development19(9): 627–37.
16.
LambM.E.SternbergK.J.EsplinP.W. (1994) ‘Factors Influencing the Reliability and Validity of Statements Made by Young Victims of Sexual Maltreatment’Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology15: 255–80.
17.
LambM.B.SternbergK.J.OrbachY.EsplinP.W.MitchellR. (2002a) ‘Is Ongoing Feedback Necessary to Maintain the Quality of Investigative Interviews with Allegedly Abused Children?’Applied Developmental Science6(1): 35–41.
18.
LambM.B.SternbergK.J.OrbachY.HershkowitzI.HorowitzD.EsplinP.W. (2002b) ‘The Effects of Intensive Training and Ongoing Supervision on the Quality of Interviews with Alleged Sex Abuse Victims’Applied Developmental Science6 (3): 114–25.
19.
LeechN.L.BarretK.C.MorganG.A. (2008) SPSS for Intermediate Statistics: Use and Interpretation. New York: Erlbaum.
20.
LerougeH. (2004) Het dossier Nihoul: De knoop in het processDutroux [The Nihoul File: The Kink in the Dutroux Case]. Berchem: EPO.
21.
Minister of Justice (2001) Ministerial circular letter of 16 July 2001 concerning the audiovisual prerecording of the interview of child victims or witnesses of indictable offences [MO van 16 juli 2001 over de audiovisuele opname van het verhoor van minderjarige slachtoffers of getuigen van misdrijven]. Brussels: Ministry of Justice.
22.
MortelmansD.DehertoghB. (2008) SPSS in onderzoek [SPSS in research]. Leuven: Acco.
23.
RassinE.Van KoppenP.J. (2002) ‘Het verhoren van kinderen in zedenzaken' [The Interviewing of Children in Sex Offences], in Van KoppenP.J.HessingD.J.MerckelbachH.L.G.J.CrombagH.F.M. (eds), Het recht van binnen: Psychologie van het recht [The Law from Within: Psychology of the Law]. Deventer: Kluwer.
24.
StellerM.BoychukT. (1992) ‘Children as Witnesses in Sexual Abuse Cases’, in DentH.FlinR. (eds), Children as Witnesses. Chichester: Wiley.
25.
SternbergK.J.LambM.E.DaviesG.M.WestcottH.L. (2001) ‘The Memorandum of Good Practice: Theory versus Application’Child Abuse & Neglect25(5): 669–81.
26.
SternbergK.J.LambM.E.HershkowitzI.EsplinP.W.RedlichA.SunshineN. (1996) ‘The Relation between Investigative Utterance Types and the Informativeness of Child Witnesses’Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology17: 439–51.
27.
VerbandtC.PonjaertI. (1996) Ondervraging van kinderen [Interviewing of Children]. Brussels: Politeia.
28.
WaegeH. (2001) ‘Operationaliseren' [Operationalising], in BillietJ.WaegeH. (eds), Een samenleving onderzocht: Methoden van sociaal-wetenschappelijk onderzoek [A Society Examined: Methods of Socio-scientific Research]. Antwerp: Standaard Uitgeverij.
29.
WrightR.PowellM.B.RidgeD. (2007) ‘What Criteria do Police Officers Use to Measure the Success of an Interview with a Child?’Psychology, Crime and Law13(4): 395–404.
30.
YuilleJ.C. (n.d.) The Step-Wise Interview: A Protocol for Interviewing Children, Vancouver: University of British Columbia.
