The overall objective of the webinar is to analyze the cross-cutting elements between child safeguarding and the steps undertaken to ensure the physical and psychological wellbeing of children victims and witnesses in the Barnahus. The aim is to elaborate the concept of the DO NO HARM and explore the potential risks and prevention measures during the forensic interviewing. In addition, will introduce the long experience and a pick sneak of the Avatar practice in forensic interviewing. The importance of considering safeguarding aspects in the process and procedures in place will be reiterated and providing adequate trainings for the staff involved in these processes to meet the best interest of the child and avoid any unintentional harm.
The criminal investigation in Barnahus, including the forensic interview, respects the procedural safeguards of both the child and the defendant. A child-friendly forensic interview is carried out according to an evidence-based protocol by a specialized forensic interviewer to secure the best possible evidence and to protect the child from (re)traumatization. The interview is recorded and represents admissible evidence in Court.
Pär Stihl, police since 1988 and have worked at Linnaeus University Sweden, since 2012 and are now responsible for the interview training at the police education. Its interview training of police officers, civil investigators and personnel in external organizations. He has a background as child interviewer since 1998 and have previously been in charge of the national training for child interviewer at Linnaeus University 2012-2013. He studied forensic psychology with a focus on police interviews of sexually abused teenage girls and their experiences of police interviews.
He is initiator of several innovative projects and are the founder of avatar-based interview training. A web-platform that helps child interviewers to improve their child interviewing capacity thru training on child avatars that is controlled by another person via an ordinary computer. The model has received positive attention and received a National Honorary Award at SKAPA 2017, Sweden's largest innovation competition.
From 2008-2012 he worked as child interviewer at Project Karin/Barnahus, Malmö Police District. Part of the position was as project manager for "Effective Child Investigation Process", which he initiated. The goal is to influence all factors that affects from the first time that a child tells about violence the child have been exposed to until the child is interviewed by the police. A subject that Linnaeus University have ambitions to develop further together with interested partners in Europe after experiences at Project Karin/Barnahus.