ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS 
 
October 1999 
 
Plano, Texas detective, Mike Johnson, was a big hit at the recent B.I.T.E. training. The detective has a return engagement, this time at the Child Fatality Conference in November. 
"CPS Reports" chatted with him about an issue he feels very strongly about: forensic interviewing. "Often, the interview of a child is the backbone of CPS cases, that's why it's so important that it is done right," he says. 
Forensic interviewing has gained 
prominence in law enforcement in the last 10-12 years as a way to build a legally defensible case. It 
differs from traditional interviews that, supposedly, anyone can do in 
that it requires a specially trained interviewer. Also, this way of asking questions takes into account a childs cultural background, develop-mental stage, linguistic ability and suggestibility. 
"For example, you learn to recognize that you don't talk to a 10-year old the same way you do to a 4- 
year old and not to ask 'leading' questions," Johnson says. 
He advises anyone involved in 
 
protecting children to use specially trained forensic interviewers as part of their investigation, in the same way an interpreter for the deaf might be used to communicate with a hearing-impaired victim. It is not necessary to have the trained 
 
person on staff, although Johnson feels it is very important for child advocacy centers to hire a person with the right skills. 
"When a forensic interviewer is available, he or she can work four or five cases at a time, and you'll have more consistency and believability," he says. 
Editor's note: B.I. TE. will present the basic techniques offorensic interviewing in early 2000.111 
Johnson recommends the following groups for anyone seeking training in forensic interviewing 
National Center for the Prosecution of Child Abuse 7031739-0321 
Comerhouse 612-872-6225 
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children-forensic interviewing institute 312/554-0166 
 
Det. Johnson makes a point. 
 
 GEORGIA 
RESPONDS 
TO CHILD 
FATALITIES 
It will be the first time professionals from many disciplines-social work, law enforcement, medicine, the justice system-have met to tackle Georgia's child fatalities. 
On November 3-4 DFCS will hold a statewide conference at the Macon Crowne Plaza Hotel. "Building Successful Teams," will bring together expert presenters and professionals to learn how to work together to better protect children. 
The conference will initiate a statewide, multi-disciplinary effort to strengthen investigations and prosecutions in cases of severe child abuse and death. 
Having a statewide network in place would help the system get a better handle on the true number of children who die from abuse and neglect yearly, increase the number of prosecutions of offenders, and provide a way to address preventable deaths. 
Among those urged to attend the Macon meeting are district attorneys, medical examiners or coroners, physicians, police officers, emergency medical technicians and child fatality review subcommittee members. 
We will report on the event in the next issue of the newsletter. 
For more information contact D'Anna Liber at 404/657-3413 (e-mail DKLiber@dhr.state.ga.us) 
 
COBB EDUCATES 
THE COMMUNITY 
During the last school year, Cobb CPS set a goal to educate adults and children about child abuse and neglect and to encourage reporting. Case Managers made mne presentations during the '98-99 school year, visiting schools and social service agencies. The outreach worked so well, they are doing it again this year. 
Paula Coleman, a Cobb supervisor said, "We need to be more visible in the community. They are our eyes and ears and they need to understand that we are in a partnership to protect kids.''. 
Children made a particularly good audience for the presentations. When youngsters at one school were asked, "What is DFCS?" one 
 
answered, "When someone comes to take your children away;" another said, "When the police come to your house." 
To overcome these attitudes and reinforce the training, the case managers gave out the Protecting Children information sheets and CPS brochures at every event. They also tested audience members before and after each session to 
measure what they had learned and their attitude about CPS. Test results were positive from every session 
Coleman is enthusiastic about speaking engagements because, "It 
says we're available and tha! our children are everybody's busmess. 
"If we can get people to see us not as anti-family but pro-child, maybe this will encourage them to focus on the children." 
 
Paula Coleman speaks at comm unity meeting. 
 
 N.C. STUDY 
SHOWS ABUSE 
DEATHS UNDER- 
COUNTED 
Astudy of child deaths over a 10-year period in North Carolina indicates that fatalities due to abuse may be undercounted by as much as 60 percent. 
This suggests that nationwide from 1985 through1996, as many as 6,500 more children died of abuse than were reported. 
Marcia Herman-Giddens, MPH, who led the study, told "CPS Reports" that 60 to 70 percent of the children killed by caregivers were unknown to social services. 
Herman-Giddens, who teaches maternal and infant health at the University of North Carolina, said one of the main reasons child abuse deaths are undercounted is the design of the coding system for recording causes of death. According to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), which medical examiners use when reporting cause of death, a homicide due to an injury occurring from a single, isolated episode such as shooting or stabbing won't be listed as child abuse even if it is committed by a caregiver. Only certain types of homicide fit in the code for a child abuse death. 
"For example, we had a case here in North Carolina where a mother stabbed her three children, but because it didn't fit in the ICD child abuse code it was listed simply as 'homicide by stabbing'," HermanGiddens said. 
The study, which was published in the August 4, 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association GAMA), suggests revising death certification procedures and ICD coding criteria to require the inclusion of perpetrator data and changes in the battering definition. 
 
PROTECTING CHILDREN WITH INSTANT 
PHOTOGRAPHY 
Take photos each time you make a home visit. Besides being relevant to the case, such photos may also provide useful evidence in subsequent cases. 
Always take at least one photo that shows a child's face, to provide a point of reference. 
Immediately document any photo you take by writing on its back the child's name, your name, date, time, location and subject. 
When documenting an injury, photograph the entire injured area (e.g., the entire back, leg or arm), in addition to taking a close-up of the injury itself. Include one photo that incorporates a point of reference -such as a small ruler or coin - to provide a sense of scale. 
When photographing injuries on a dark-skinned child, set your Spectra "light/dark" button to "light." Use the "dark" settings for light-skinned subjects. 
Photograph any instruments of abuse-such as a belt buckle or cigarette-and match them whenever possible to the wounds they caused. 
Show photos of a child's injuries to the alleged abuser to highlight the serious consequences of his or her behavior. 
When visiting an unsafe or unhealthy home, photograph it immediately, before anyone has a chance to clean it. 
Always photograph anything you find suspicious-vermin, debris, or anything that poses a risk of injury to a child. 
These tips were adapted from "Instant Evidence," a Polaroid publication. The May 1999 issue featured an article on Georgia CPS.II 
 
CPS TO JOIN 
INVESTIGATIVE 
TEAMS 
Six judicial districts are the pilot sites for a new concept in investigating child abuse deaths. A "child fatality investigative team" will investigate every suspicious or unexpected child death in its district. The team will go to the scene when a crime is reported, conduct interviews, and help build a case for prosecution. 
Each team will include a police officer, the medical examiner or coroner, the district attorney and a CPS investigator. 
DFCS Director Peg Peters said, "We hope to have a team in every judicial district ultimately. Conducting this thorough an investigatio!1 will go a long way toward ensuring a higher number of prosecutions and seeing that fewer child homicides go unrecognized." 
Special training for members ?f pilot investigative teams only will be offered November 2-3 at the Macon Crowne Plaza, prior to the DFCS-sponsored conference that begins on the 3rd.  
POLICY MANUAL 
DUE SOON 
The revised policy manual is in the printers' hands and should be ready for distribution before the end of the year. CPS will train the staffers in the Consultation and Support unit this month. There will be three training sessions for supervisors: Dec. 6, Gainsville; Dec 7, Macon; and, Dec. 8, Tifton. General training is scheduled for early 2000. The updated manual gives more guidance on working substance abuse cases; it also incorporates many of your suggestions and requests from the SDM training. 
 
 QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 
Q. I'm confused about when and how we should report the death or serious in1ury of a child to the state office. 
A. Counties should report 1) the death or serious injury of any child whose family has an active CPS or Placement case; 2) children whose families have any prior history with CPS or Placement Services. 
Do not rryort 1) children whose families received (or formerly received) only welfare or jood stamps; 2) CPS intakes whose family was unknown to the agency before the incident; 3) deaths known to DFCS only through the local Child Abuse Protocol fatality review process. 
To report, you must fill out and fax a DFCS Child Fatality/Serious Injury Report within two business days after you learn of the incident. Fax the jorm to the CPS unit at 4041657-3486. The report can be hand-written, but it should be legible. Be sure to include the name and phone number of the staffperson who can answer questions about the case. 
Also, the county director can touch base with DHR's Office of Communicatfbns for consultation. 4041656-4937. 
PUP CORRECTION 
Two corrections should be made regarding information in the article on PUP (September 1999 CPS Reports.) 
1. If the case involves substance abuse, a drug screen is required when 
applying for PUP funds To receive or continue to receive PUP services 
clients who test positive for drug use must agree to participate in treatment. 
clients already in treatment must continue to participate in treatment. 
clients are not required to complete treatment before receiving other help, such as counseling and emergency financial assistance. 
2. Families who receive services through PUP must have a substantiated case. The 4,242 families who were served through PUP in FY99 represented 17 percent of all substantiated cases that year. 
Note also that PUP may be used during the investigation before a case disposition is made in order to obtain necessary evidence (i.e., drug screens, drug assessments and psychological evaluations) .II 
 
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