Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-019-00612-z Developing a Functional Code System to Analyze Forensic Interviews with Suspected Victims of Child Sexual Abuse Reginaldo T. Alves Jr. 1  · Debra Nelson‑Gardell 2  · Marcelo Tavares 3  · Teresa L. Young 4,5 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract This study aims to establish a coding system to analyze forensic interviews in order to systematically explore and under- stand “what works” for getting relevant information from child abuse victims. A forensic interview is a method of gathering information about allegations of sexual abuse from vulnerable children intended to further law enforcement and child pro- tective investigations in a developmentally sensitive and legally sound manner (Cordisco-Steele, 2012; Newlin et al., 2015). Knowing what works in forensic interviews allows for better protection of children and families by improving interviewing techniques across the professional practice of helping children disclose information related to alleged victimization. The use of information from child interviews to address civil, protective, and criminal decisions varies among communities, whether international, national, or more local jurisdictions. In the U.S., the use of forensic interviews is well established in Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) where child protec- tion and legal prosecution are integrated through the multi- disciplinary team. However, only a small number of CACs exist in Brazil due to lack of funding and cooperation among institutions responsible for child abuse cases. Professionals from legal, medical, and social service systems often repeat- edly interview child abuse victims. A strong debate exists in Brazil about the best way to listen to children to assess for suspected child abuse. Professional social work and psy- chology boards currently support the use of classical social and psychological evaluations and do not recommend the involvement of forensic interviewers in court settings (Con- selho Federal de Psicologia, 2018; Moller & Diniz, 2017). According to the boards, the role of the social worker or psychologist is to heal the child of his or her trauma, assist the family to access their rights and make recommendations to the courts, but not actively investigate abuse allegations. In 2011, an estimated 28,525 Brazilian children (.5 per 1000), as compared to 61,472 U.S. children (2.4 per 1000), were reported at risk of being sexually abused to respective Brazilian and U.S. child abuse hotlines (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografa e Estatística, 2018; Ministério dos Direitos Humanos, 2011; U.S. Department of Health & Human Ser- vices, 2012). The purpose of the current study is to fll a gap in the existing knowledge in the feld by using Brazilian and U.S. interviewers and coders to develop and assess the use- fulness of a functional coding system to analyze interviews of child abuse victims involved in Brazilian court settings in order to support the work of the professionals in charge of the task in Brazil. * Teresa L. Young Teresa.young@tamuk.edu Reginaldo T. Alves Jr. reginaldo.junior@tjdft.jus.br Debra Nelson-Gardell dnelsong@sw.ua.edu Marcelo Tavares marsatavares@gmail.com 1 Tribunal de Justiça do Distrito Federal e dos Territórios, Vara da Infância e da Juventude - Seção de Atendimento à Situação de Risco, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil 2 University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA 3 Instituto de Psicologia - Departamento de Psicologia Clínica, Universidade de Brasília - Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil 4 Texas A&M University Kingsville, Kingsville, TX, USA 5 Department of Clinical Health Sciences, Texas A&M University Kingsville, 700 University Blvd, MSC 177, Kingsville, TX 78363, USA