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Introduction
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When an Achieving Best Evidence (ABE) interview is conducted as part of a criminal investigation into child sexual abuse, information from the interview can be vital in informing a multi-agency response to the abused child – provided it is shared appropriately and effectively.
An ABE interview is a specialist, structured and trauma-informed interview with a child (or another vulnerable or intimidated individual) who may have been the victim of or witness to a criminal offence. Its purpose is to obtain the child’s account of what happened in a legally robust manner, while minimising their distress.
The interview is usually video-recorded and may serve as the child’s evidence-in-chief in court. The process is guided by national ABE guidance, which ensures that the child’s welfare is central, and that practitioners conducting the interview – a police officer and, ideally, a senior social worker – are trained in its principles and methods.
For more information about centring the child and their needs during an ABE interview relating to child sexual abuse, please see the CSA Centre’s Child Sexual Abuse Response Pathway
Directly after the ABE interview, all relevant information from it should be shared with the child’s social worker (if they have not been involved in the interview), so they can understand and participate in the management of any current and ongoing risks around the child. This includes:
- what the child has said about what happened to them, including who was involved and the location(s) and timing of incidents
- observations about the child’s behaviour and emotional state during the interview
- how the child communicated their experiences.
If the interview has identified that the child has additional safeguarding needs, and especially if the person who has abused them could potentially still have access to them, the social worker will need to decide what information needs to be shared with others such as the child’s non-abusing parent(s), staff at their school, and others such as youth club workers or staff at their children’s home: This will alert those who are responsible for the child’s safety and wellbeing on a regular basis to any potential risks
Bear in mind, however, that the ABE interview will likely have involved discussion about many aspects of the child’s life or experiences that are incredibly personal to them – so it is important that only information necessary for safeguarding the child or for the purposes of the investigation should be shared. Most agencies will not need access to all the information from the interview – and for those who do need information, summaries or redacted extracts are often sufficient.
The Ministry of Justice’s Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance on Interviewing Victims and Witnesses, and Guidance on Using Special Measures is clear that “Any relevant information gained during the interview can also be used to inform enquiries regarding significant harm under section 47 of the Children Act 1989 and any subsequent actions to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare, and in some cases, the welfare of other children.”
Information from an ABE interview allows agencies to work together effectively to safeguard the child. For example:
- Social care practitioners can assess risk, plan protective actions, and identify unmet needs.
- The police can make informed decisions about investigative strategy, prioritise evidence gathering, and protect the child throughout the process.
- The child’s school or other education provider can adjust safeguarding arrangements and provide pastoral support. It can anticipate times, places, situations or experiences that may be particularly difficult for the child, and can understand the barriers that the child may face in accessing educational opportunities, in order to help the child overcome these barriers.
- Health and therapeutic services can offer targeted emotional and mental health interventions.
When information is shared thoughtfully and proportionately, it supports continuity of care, reduces the likelihood of re-traumatisation, and ensures that all agencies have a coherent understanding of the child’s experiences and needs.