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Children as Witnesses
Helping Young People Give Their Evidence in Court, Helping Courts Hear the Evidence of Children
Crown Attorneys: When a Child is a Witness
Pamela Hurley, Karen Scarth & Lynda Stevens (2002)
This is one in a series of five manuals produced in 2002 by the
Child Witness Project. This manual is for educators with students who are victims or witnesses in criminal court proceedings. A manual for Crowns who prosecute cases where children and adolescents may be witnesses. Material will aid prosecutors as they prepare young people to give a full and candid account of their evidence. Topics include good practice guidelines, meeting and interviewing young witnesses, information sharing, testimonial aids, and understanding the impact of trauma on children and adolescents and related implications for their experiences as witnesses. 43 p.
Please note that laws referenced in this manuals are from prior to the reforms prompted by Bill C-2 in 2006. For information on current Canadian laws, see the "Full and Candid Account" resource mentioned at the bottom of this page.
Table of Contents
Child Witness Project -- A Brief History
Introduction
Good Practice Guidelines
Meeting and Interviewing Young Witnesses
Information Sharing
Court Preparation -- Program Example
Child Witnesses to Domestic Violence
Child Witness Assessments, Advocacy, Testimonial Aids and Special Applications
The Impact of Traumatic Events on Children and Adolescents
Understanding the Traumatized Victim or Witness
Conclusion
References and Resources
A Newer Resource
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 A Full and Candid Account: Using Special Accommodations and Testimonial Aids to Facilitate the Testimony of Children (2007)
Seven concise resources to help prosecutors, victim-support workers, judges, police and others understand and meet the needs of children who testify in court. The goal of these efforts is to help the witness provide complete and accurate evidence, or "a full and candid account." Topics covered are: overview of issues related to child testimony, testifying outside the courtroom (e.g., via CCTV), witness screens, video-recorded evidence, designated support person, hearsay evidence and children, and children and teenagers who testify in domestic violence cases. Development and distribution of this resource was funded by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues, Department of Justice Canada.
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