Creating a Safe Space to Share: Top Tips for What Makes a Great Child Forensic Interview Room | Guardify
September 30, 2025
By Guardify
Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs) creating a safe and supportive environment for kids to share their experiences is paramount, especially when investigating violent crimes. The forensic interview at a CAC is a crucial step in a child abuse investigation – a one-on-one conversation between a child and a trained forensic interviewer who is gathering information about suspected abuse in a neutral, non-leading, and child-centered way.
Child forensic interview rooms at CACs serve as the primary setting for these important conversations, where forensic interviewers engage with children who may have been victims or witnesses of abuse, violence, or trauma. The design and contents of child forensic interview rooms play a crucial role in facilitating effective communication while prioritizing the child’s well-being and comfort to minimize further trauma.
But, what makes a great child forensic interview room? It’s not just about bright colors and teddy bears. At Guardify, we are fortunate to have four former forensic interviewers on staff. Cumulatively, they have interviewed over 11,500 children, so we knew they could share what makes the best elements of a forensic interview room.
It Starts With Your Personnel
Trained Forensic Interviewer: Hands down, the most important element is a trained forensic interviewer who can build rapport with the child, ask non-leading questions in a child friendly manner, and ensure the child feels safe and heard. Forensic interviewers are called to testify as subject matter experts, as an outcry witness, and/or as a fact witness.
Collaborative Multidisciplinary Team (MDT): For a forensic interviewer to do their job effectively, a collaborative and supportive MDT must be in place. Building trust and maintaining clear communication with the team ensures the process runs smoothly for the child. MDT members contribute through preparation and follow-up, but they are not present in the forensic interview room, which helps the child feel safe and focused during the conversation.
Things to Consider For The Room Setup
Comfort and Security: Warm and inviting: The room should feel welcoming. Harsh lighting and sterile environments can be intimidating and clinical. Avoid anything scary, institutional, or overly stimulating. The goal is to put the child at ease and allow them to be themselves.
Age & Ability Appropriate: The room’s design should be child-centric, but neutral, with no distractions to divert the child’s focus from the interview questions. One of the goals is to help the child feel safe and comfortable. Rooms should avoid any elements that could be intimidating or triggering. Additionally, it should be a space adaptable to children with disabilities.
Seating: Having kid-sized chairs, sofas, or pillows allows the child to be at eye-level with the interviewer and sit in a relaxed position that doesn’t feel confrontational.
Comfort items: Blankets, fidget toys, coloring supplies, and therapy dogs can provide comfort and reduce anxiety during a stressful experience.
Evidence Dolls/Drawings: While care must be taken to not lead or suggest details to the child, having available evidence collection tools such as drawing materials or anatomically-correct dolls can provide a way for children to demonstrate things that happened if they are unable to describe events verbally. Though, it is important to note that this depends on the CAC. Some counties do not allow any sort of dolls or drawings.
Technical Functionality
Observation Room: There should be an adjoining observation room with closed-circuit video so the MDT members involved in the case can watch the interview unobtrusively. This allows the investigators to be nearby if and/or when the forensic interviewer needs to consult with members of the multidisciplinary team.
High Quality Audio-Visual Recording Equipment: High-quality audio and video recording are essential for capturing the interview accurately. Cameras should be unobtrusive, and their purpose explained to the child. Microphones should be sensitive to pick-up vocal interactions. There are several systems on the market designed specifically for CACs, like Intelligent Video Solutions, V2 Advocate, and iRecord.
Proper Lighting and Acoustics: Good lighting and acoustics are essential for creating a conducive environment for communication. Soft lighting and soundproofing help prevent distractions and create a calm atmosphere for the interview. Even with optimal microphone placement in the room, sometimes sounds can be picked up from hallways outside the forensic interview room.
There are several options you can take to mitigate noise pollution coming into your room including: acoustical ceiling tiles, wall-to-wall carpeting, curtains and fabric wall coverings. These will also help absorb any echoes in the room. Noises from hallways or adjoining rooms can be challenging. Sensitive mics can capture foot traffic, like high heels, in an uncarpeted hallway or loud voices from an adjoining room where groups congregate. Consider carpeting for the hallway. Look for ways to mitigate group noise. Can your center manage who is in the room next door during an interview? If you can, avoid having an external wall because you may hear road noise or sounds from an outside AC unit. These will require more investment and effort to muffle.
We might be biased, but keep reading – each of our former forensic interviewers at Guardify was a user of our product first.
Once the interview is completed, the forensic interviewer must share or transfer the recording with the appropriate agencies to further the investigation. After providing a safe place for a child to share their traumatic experiences every precaution should be taken to make sure this recording isn’t lost, or worse – falling into the wrong hands. While DVDs and jump drives have long been a standard way to share forensic interviews, they require more staff time and are more vulnerable to being misplaced or copied than secure digital options. Guardify for Children’s Advocacy Centers was built specifically for children’s advocacy centers to share evidence with permission-based security. Interviews are protected in the cloud with CJIS and HIPAA-compliant frameworks. And because Guardify integrates with a variety of recording systems, like Intelligent Video Solutions, V2 Advocate, and iRecord, interviews can be accessed in minutes versus waiting hours or days for a DVD recording.
Child forensic interview rooms are instrumental in gathering crucial information from children involved in legal proceedings. By prioritizing the child’s comfort, safety, and emotional well-being, these rooms, and the skilled forensic interviewers, facilitate effective communication while minimizing further trauma.
The design and setup of the interview room can go a long way in establishing trust and rapport with the child, which gives investigators the best chance of learning the facts about alleged crimes or abuse. While the room can’t undo a traumatic experience for the child, it can at least provide a safe, friendly environment for them to describe what happened.
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Guardify is a leader in digital evidence management, partnering with Child Advocacy Centers to make the handling of forensic interviews more secure, efficient, and reliable. Their platform streamlines how teams share and organize sensitive digital evidence, reducing administrative burden while protecting confidentiality. By simplifying these processes, Guardify helps CACs and their multidisciplinary partners stay focused on delivering justice and healing for children. They are also a NCA Catalyst Corporate Partner. If your company or organization is interested in joining our Partner Program, click here.
