Conducting Joint Investigative Interviews

A joint investigative interview is essentially an interview carried out by a police officer and a social worker with a child following a decision of an IRD. The interview is planned in detail, taking into account the child’s age, stage of development and any additional support needs the child may have. The police officer and social worker will have received specific training in this area of practice.

The purpose is to:

• Learn the child’s account of the circumstances that led to the enquiry.
• Gather information to allow decision making regarding the child being in need of protection.
• Gather sufficient evidence to suggest whether a crime may have been committed against the child.
• Secure the best evidence as may be needed for court proceedings or for children’s hearing proof.

The consent of a parent or guardian is not required prior to undertaking a JII. Through discussion they should be made aware that the interview is taking place unless there is good reason not to, for example, where there are grounds to suspect that they are involved in the abuse. A parent who is not suspected of being involved in harming the child may be provide support to the child in the interview. 

The child’s must be helped to understand the purpose and process of the joint investigative interview, however has a right to say no to participating. 

The current procedure for joint investigative interviews is contained within the national guidance. The Scottish Child Interview Model (SCIM) is a new approach to JII, currently being piloted in Scotland before being rolled out across the county. It is designed to minimise the re-traumatisation and keep the needs and rights of the child victims and witnesses at the centre of the process. Read more about the Scottish Child Interview Model and the pilot projects.

Resource to follow at this stage