Author:
Mariia Kucova
The “Voices of Children” Charitable Foundation conducted its second training session in Kyiv, titled “Psychological Aspects of Interviewing Children During Wartime in Ukraine”, for representatives from the Prosecutor’s Office, National Police, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU). While the previous session had participants from Kyiv and its region, this session welcomed attendees from various regions of Ukraine.
As with the previous training, the trainers were Nataliia Sosnovenko and Ruslana Moroz, both psychologists and experts from the Foundation's Center for Psychological Expertise and Methodology.
The specialists provided theoretical knowledge and conducted practical exercises on interviewing children who have experienced trauma, including those who have been deported by Russia. Before that, they addressed the topic of law enforcement officers' resilience and explored ways to prevent vicarious trauma.
Even More Practice and Team Interaction
The core training program remained unchanged, but since participants came from different regions and did not know each other, the trainers added an exercise on team interaction.
At the beginning of the training, participants were within certain boundaries, and the fact that they were from different parts of the country was also a stressful situation. These exercises helped reduce anxiety in the group,
explained Nataliia Sosnovenko.
explained Nataliia Sosnovenko.
The team interaction exercise involved shifting participants from their professional perspective to a more personal one by engaging resourceful memories and feelings. These factors, among others, helped create a friendly and relaxed atmosphere for future interactions.
Additionally, the psychologists worked in-depth with law enforcement officers on various stages of interviewing a child, focusing on how to obtain necessary information without causing harm. Practical skills are easier to master when role-playing specific situations.
This group focused more on the process of interviewing a child and their psychological characteristics. Perhaps because they work with this more often,
noted Ruslana Moroz.
noted Ruslana Moroz.
During the training, many questions were raised about the role of a psychologist during child interviews. While procedural law clearly states that such a specialist must be present, the participants did not quite understand the specific role of the psychologist and how to implement it. Nataliia and Ruslana helped clarify this point as well.
Not just new knowledge, but also relaxation
The investigators and prosecutors were highly satisfied with the training. They highlighted the psychologists’ expertise and the friendly atmosphere of the event.
The training exceeded all my expectations! I will immediately apply the knowledge I gained to my practice. I can already see real changes in my work and feel relief from anxiety,
feedback from one of the participants.
feedback from one of the participants.
Moreover, the participants were amazed at how easy it is to take care of their mental health using simple techniques. Law enforcement officers, accustomed to controlling every process, were able to relax and let go of the situation without even noticing it. For them, it was not just a training session with useful information but also a two-day vacation where they could leave all their work-related concerns behind.
We would like to remind you that online webinars on ethical interviewing of children are planned for September to reach a larger number of investigators and prosecutors working with minors.
The training was conducted as part of the project "Strengthening the System of Providing Psychosocial Services to Illegally Deported Ukrainian Children and Their Families", supported by the "Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine", which is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden. The content of the training is the sole responsibility of the "Voices of Children" CF and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Fund and/or its financial partners.
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