Child Witness Paper

Police Research Series
Paper 115

Interviewing Child Witnesses under the Memorandum of
Good Practice:
A research review

Graham M. Davies
Helen L. Westcott

Police Research Series
Paper 115

Interviewing Child Witnesses under the Memorandum of
Good Practice:
A research review

Graham M. Davies
Helen L. Westcott

Editor: Barry Webb
Home Office
Policing and Reducing Crime Unit
Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
Clive House, Petty France
London, SW1H 9HD

C

Crown Copyright 1999
First Published 1999

Policing and Reducing Crime Unit: Police Research Series
The Policing and Reducing Crime Unit (PRC) was formed in 1998 as a result of the merger of the Police Research Group (PRG) and the Research and Statistics
Directorate. PRC is now part of the Research, Development and Statistics
Directorate of the Home Office. PRC carries out and commissions research in the social and management sciences on policing and crime reduction.
PRC has now combined PRG’s two main series into the Police Research Series.
The series will present research material on crime prevention and detection as well as police management and organisation issues.
Research commissioned by PRG will appear as a PRC publication.

ISBN 1-84082-328-3

Copies of this publication can be made available in formats accessible to the visually impaired on request.

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Foreword
The ‘Memorandum of Good Practice on Video Recorded Interviews with Child Witnesses for Criminal Proceedings’ (Home Office/Department of Health) was published in
1992 to provide guidance to police officers and social workers responsible for undertaking video-recorded interviews with child victims or witnesses. The document outlined core principles to be followed when conducting interviews; the video could then be played in court to spare the child the necessity of giving live examination-in-chief. Since 1992, much literature and research has been generated around the

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