Trauma-Informed Abuse Investigation

Community disability services require delicate and deliberate approaches to investigative interviewing, particularly around allegations of abuse. This course focuses on the theoretical and practical skills related to effective interviewing while accounting for the unique circumstances that support workers face, such as the need to maintain effective communication throughout an investigation involving individuals with disabilities. This course presents material that is current, timely, and relevant for those seeking to develop the skill set to carry out investigations confidently and effectively.

This is an online course containing modules addressing developing and adhering to interviewing protocols and scheduled practice sessions with a trained facilitator. This course will teach you to conduct best-practice interviews with adults and adolescents with complex communication needs. 'Complex communication needs' is a broad term encompassing a wide range of challenges related to understanding or using speech when communicating with others. Topics include choosing effective questions, eliciting disclosures about sensitive information, language & memory development, and how to question clients about their experiences.

This certification course is made for workers in the Community Disability Services sector, as it combines foundational theories and practices of investigative interviewing with reference to individuals with a disability. Learners will be able to practice their skills in scheduled sessions with trained facilitators and receive feedback for ongoing professional development in this area.

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This course was created in partnership with Griffith University's Centre for Investigative Interviewing

The Centre for Investigative Interviewing, founded in Australia by Professor Martine Powell, has created a global revolution in the teaching of investigative interviewing. They have international connections in a wide range of fields, such as border control, human resources, and internet child exploitation investigation. Learn more.

Technical Skills 

The training opportunity provides direct practical instruction in information gathering techniques required for problem solving and effective decision making. Learning these techniques helps employees to gather complete, accurate, and relevant information from clients, which is the cornerstone of clearer situational understanding. These techniques also help employees to avoid making premature assumptions that can lead to ineffective solutions. The training provides guidance in eliciting people’s narrative accounts of experiences, which can reveal the underlying causes of problems that might not emerge through observation or the use of checklists.

Content

This course is delivered online and taken at the learners own pace over a period of up to one year. 

• Module 1: The Impact of Questioning Styles
• Module 2: Question Types & Coding
• Module 3: Language & Memory Development
• Module 4: Eliciting a Narrative
• Module 5: Supporting Disclosure
• Module 6: Repeated Events
• Final Reflection

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify the strengths and weaknesses of various question types used in interviews.
• Adapt interview techniques to accommodate clients' developmental abilities and communication needs.
• Raise topics of concern and support client disclosure.
• Conduct, and critically reflect on, best-practice interviewing. 

Fees

• ACDS Members: $850 + GST per learner
• Non-members: $1,105 + GST per learner

*Given the number of hours expected for learners to complete this course, this program qualifies for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant. Registrants should also consider the Alberta Jobs Now program as additional funding.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does this course start?

The course begins after the learner is enrolled on the D2L learning management system. Each learner has one year from the time of their enrollment start date to complete the course.

What is the time commitment requirement?

The time commitment for the course is approximately 21 hours to be completed within 52 weeks. This was an intentional design so that the training is eligible for the Canada-Alberta Job Grant. Actual results will depend on the individual learner, but one year is ample time so that anticipated busy times can be considered.

Are there any prerequisites?

No, there are no formal prerequisites as we wanted this course to be broadly accessible. Those within an organization who have responsibility around compliance, abuse prevention, human resources, etc., as well as those who can benefit in general from dedicated skill-building in the area of open-ended questions, are welcome to register for the training.

How long are each of the sessions?

Sessions are based on six core modules – named with an approximate time estimate (again, individual results will vary):

• Best practice guidelines = 3 hours
• Defining the questions = 4 hours
• Effective questions = 3 hours
• Practicing the right questions = 3 hours
• Eliciting a disclosure = 3 hours
• The Standard Interview Method Protocol = 4 hours
• A one-hour introduction to the D2L learning management system (because this course exists on D2L and not on ACDS’s Moodle platform, we figured it prudent to have a tutorial segment that will familiarize learners with the platform, prior to the formal modules listed above)