An examination of the types of leading questions used by investigative interviewers of children

Purpose &ndash; The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of leading questions used by a representative sample of investigative interviewers of children. In particular, it examined whether these interviewers use the type of questions that are known to elicit reports of false activities or events among child samples.Design/methodology/approach &ndash; A total of 82 police officers who were authorized to conduct interviews with alleged child abuse victims conducted individual mock interviews with children aged 5-7 years. The focus of the interviews was an event that was staged in the children\u27s school a week earlier. Prior to the interview, each officer was provided with accurate and inaccurate information about the event, including details about an activity that did not occur. The officers\u27 task was to elicit as detailed and accurate account of the event as possible using the techniques they would &ldquo;normally&rdquo; use in the field.Findings &ndash; Although the officers refrained from using coercive interview techniques, two problematic types of questions were relatively common. These include: questions that presumed that an activity/detail occurred that had not been previously mentioned by the child; and questions that included highly specific details about an activity. Both of these techniques had featured in prior laboratory research on children\u27s false event narratives.Research limitations/implications &ndash; These results support the need for better training techniques for assisting officers to avoid the use of leading questions.Originality/value &ndash; While it is well established that investigative interviewers do sometimes use leading questions when interviewing children, this is the first study to specify the incidence of various types of leading questions.of leading questions.<br /

Development of a Routines-Based Early Childhood Intervention model

The Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) literature recommends that intervention is embedded within everyday routines that occur in the natural environment. However, little research has examined the implementation of routines-based models of ECI. The aim of this paper was to describe the development of a Routines-Based Early Childhood Intervention (RBECI) model. The RBECI model consists of four key components: a) Routines-Based Interviews (RBIs); b) participation-based goals; c) home visits; and d) community consultations. Empirical evidence supporting each component of the model is provided, and results from a preliminary evaluation of the implementation of the model are discussed. Further research is required evaluating processes involved in the implementation of the model by ECI professionals and its impact on children and families

Institutional boundaries and the challenges of aligning science advice and policy dynamics: the UK and Canada in the time of COVID-19

This comparison of institutions of science advice during COVID-19 between the Westminster systems of England/UK and Ontario/Canada focuses on the role of science in informing public policy in two central components of the response to the pandemic: the adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and the procuring of vaccines. It compares and contrasts established and purpose-built bodies with varying degrees of independence from the political executive, and shows how each attempted to manage the tensions between scientific and governmental logics of accountability as they negotiated the boundary between science and policy. It uses the comparison to suggest potential lessons about the relative merits and drawbacks of different institutional arrangements for science advice to governments in an emergency