Adult Protective Services

The Adult Protective Services (APS) team at the Alliance works collaboratively through contracts with the Washington State Department of Social & Health Services, Adult Protective Services to provide the following courses and can expand on these topics based on the needs of the staff:

Forensic Interviewing of Vulnerable Adults
Forensic Interviewing of Alleged Perpetrators
Forensic Interviewing – A Combined Training of forensic interviewing of vulnerable adults and alleged perpetrators. This training is a module for APS new staff in their Academy Training
New Supervisor Academy Curriculum Development and Training of the Trainers (TOT)
Presentations at the Annual NAPSA Conference on Forensic Interviewing
Critical Thinking Curriculum and TOT
Trauma-informed Care and TOT
Other work as requested

These offerings are contract-based and do not fall under other Alliance work. If you are interested in contracting for these or other training related to working with vulnerable adults, contact Cory Bryant at corinb4@uw.edu to request training for your team.

Forensic Interviewing

What is FI?

Forensic interviewing (FI) is a structured conversation using a protocol to gather detailed information about an event or events experienced, witnessed or perpetrated and is used in both child and adult protective services investigations.

FI incorporates research and best practice into the sequence of an interview and uses specific techniques and question types to gather legally sound and detailed information.

“It is a very supportive learning environment which is so important as it can be very anxiety provoking to engage in simulations with co-workers and HQ staff observing. It is one of the best trainings I have attended throughout my professional career.”
– APS Training Participant

Historical Context of FI

The field of Forensic Interviewing was born because of significant errors that were made in investigations in child abuse cases. Many people probably have heard about miscarriages of justice from the 1980s where allegations of child sexual abuse were investigated. Back then, most investigators did not understand how to interview children and reached out to local therapists to assist. Interviews were conducted using leading questions as well as multiple interviews with the same child, which produced what some thought were fantastical stories. Questions like, “Johnny told me that X happened to him, did that also happen to you?” or “We can be done if you tell me what happened, did X happen?” Needless to say, convictions happened and then were overturned based on the way that the children were interviewed. Significant changes were made, and research was completed to assist in learning how to interview children in a non-leading and neutral way. Now, forensic interviewing is used to assist Adult Protective Services staff in their investigations with vulnerable adults. The protocol was developed to meet the needs of this population.

The decision to use forensic interviewing by APS investigators was made because forensic interviewing is an evidence-based interviewing technique that is person-centered and a fact-finding conversation. Forensic interviewing provides investigators with a structure to gather information that applies to most populations with considerations to communication styles, cognition, culture, and physical or functional challenges. The protocol provides a legally sound objective approach in completing a thorough, thoughtful interview.

Appreciated: “The approach to FI interviewing and the ability to use a soft approach to illicit a complete response from the AP about what happened.” – FI Training Participant

Most helpful: “The collaboration, prep time and practicing of the concepts. Hands on and helpful.” – APS Training Participant