DISCLOSURES

1. Put Your own Feelings Aside
Notes:

 

Put your own feelings aside.    

  • listen as if the information is not sensational
  • don’t do anything out of the ordinary
  • don’t react with shock or horror or panic
  • don’t express opinions or anger
  • keep a calm normal voice as though they just told you they fell over and cut their knee or they didn’t like their lunch.

This is the most important time of the disclosure. 

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Information:

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Tip No 1 – Put your own feelings aside 

Now – that sounds a lot easier than it is. In all our years interviewing children, and even when we knew a disclosure was coming, we still felt the same range of emotions every time a disclosure was made. As professionals we learnt to mask those feelings though.

We know that when you hear Emily saying that, you will probably be swamped by emotion and anxiety – because you’re angry, upset, and disgusted all at once, but you’re worried about the child and want to comfort them and rescue them and make it all okay. At the same time you don’t want to do anything wrong to mess up an investigation – and all these thoughts and feelings rush into your head in the same nanosecond.

So – what do you do?

You take a breath.

You act as though you would every other day if they told you that they fell over and scratched their knee or they didn’t like their lunch.