Children as Witnesses

Helping Young People Give Their Evidence in Court, Helping Courts Hear the Evidence of Children

Police Investigators: When the Witness is a Child

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 police officers who investigate crimes where children and young are victims or witnesses who may have to testify in court. Topics addressed include good practice guidelines, interviewing, information sharing, the components of court preparation, testimonial aids, and the impact of trauma on child victims and witnesses. 42 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

• The London Child Witness Project -- A Brief History

• Introduction

• Good Practice Guidelines

• Interviewing Young Witnesses

• Information Sharing

• Referral Process -- Example

• Court Preparation -- Program Example

• 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

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.