Enhanced Cognitive Interviewing for APS Professionals

We create experiences that transform the heart, mind, and practice.

About the Academy & APSWI

The Academy is a project of San Diego State School of Social Work. Serving over 20,000 health and human services professionals annually, the Academy’s mission is to provide exceptional workforce development and learning experiences for the transformation of individuals, organizations and communities.

APSWI, or Adult Protective Services Workforce Innovations, is a training program of the Academy that provides innovative workforce development to APS professionals and their partners.

OUR PROGRAMS

San Diego State University

Housekeeping

• Video Camera
• Option to hide “self view”
• Mute, unmute
• Chat box
• Reactions:
• Thumbs up, clap, raise hand, heart emoji, etc.
• If you must step away

​

• Potential technical glitches

Introductions

Chat Box: One sentence why you choose to work in APS

​

OR

​

​

​

​

​

​

Poll: What is your background (education and/or work) experience?

Course Learning Outcomes

Using techniques of Enhanced Cognitive Interviewing enables APS to get more valid information, enhancing the interviewee’s memory.

​

• Participants will be able to:
• Apply at least one technique for building rapport to decrease anxiety of the person being interviewed.
• Utilize a structure for questioning that initiates a free recall.
• Evaluate APS interview effectiveness based on ECI core principles and strategies.

​

​

• Opportunity to share takeaways at end.

Skill Evaluation

Take notes on the following:

• What was effective?
• Moments of improvement

​

​

​

Discussion as large group

Purposes of APS Interviews

What is the purpose for conducting an APS interview?

​

• To gather evidentiary facts about an allegation of abuse, neglect or exploitation

​

• To gather information necessary to offer services that will effectively reduce risk

Core Practices for APS Interviews

• Focus on strengths and abilities

​

• Assume communication ability

​

• Utilize a trauma-informed approach

​

• Integrate cultural responsiveness

​

• Practice disability etiquette for all people with a disability

​

• Respect that we are almost always a guest

Enhanced Cognitive Interviewing for APS

• Method using cognitive techniques in a planned and structured way to increase recall of an event witnessed

​

​

• This model has nine phases.

When to Use ECI

• Human services fundamental techniques:
• Use as a base for interviewing people in any human service situation including APS

​

• Motivational interviewing:
• Use to elicit opportunities for behavior change in people

​

• Forensic interviewing:
• Use to collect testimony for the purpose of criminal prosecution

​

• Enhanced cognitive interviewing:
• Use to facilitate the memory of details about events or situations
• Utilize when someone holds valuable info in their memory and initially unable or reluctant to recall it

Phase 1: Greet, Personalize and Build Rapport

How do you introduce yourself when first meeting someone you’re interviewing?

• Remain person-centered

​

Rapport building leads to more correct information from interviewee

​

What are your best techniques for quick rapport building?

​

Trust and Equality

​

How do you know rapport is built?

• ECI: used to decrease anxiety= increase ability recall

Phase 2: Explain the Goals of the Interview

What do you want to know from a stranger asking for information at your home?

​

Memory is difficult and takes concentration.

​

Participant Recall

Transferring Control

“Report Everything” accomplishes:

• Provides the general topic area of interest based on a specific time
• Invites the person to share everything
• Asks them not to weigh the importance before sharing
• Allows them to not need to remember something in its entirety for it to have value

​

Phase 3: Initiate a Free Report

• The goal is a free and unrestricted report of memory

​

• Physical and internal state are important

​

• Internal state can be accomplished by visualization
• Done with caution
• Only when confident a safe environment has been established

​

• May need to remind “free report” throughout interview

​

• Assume active listening role

Phase 4: Questioning

Occurs after free recall

• Provide a framework, including: why, giving permission to say they don’t know, encouraging breaks, reminders to share everything

​

Open-ended questions and requests

Specific-closed questions

​

Avoid:

• Forced choice questions
• Multiple questions at once
• Leading questions
• Motive questions
• Poorly worded questions

Phase 5: Varied and Extensive Retrieval

Used when APS feels there is still more critical info to be obtained

• Move to Phase 6 if comprehensive information from phases 1-4 has been received

​

​

Techniques:

• Recall in a variety of temporal orders
• Change perspective (not used with clients)
• Memory jogs

Phase 6: Important Investigative Questions

What questions/statements that might need to be asked but are leading in nature?

​

• Important investigative questions are often leaning and should be saved for the end.

​

• People are susceptible to the influence and suggestions of the interviewer.

​

• Important investigative questions that are leading should be immediately followed by open-ended questions.

​

​

Phase 7: Summary

• Summary is a method to check for accuracy of how the APS professional received the information.

​

• Permission should be given to the person being interviewed to interrupt to add new or correct information.

​

• Always end the summary by asking if there is anything that has been missed.

Phase 8: Closure

When do you ask about certain demographics?

​

​

Why is it important to leave all interviews in a positive frame?

​

​

How is contact information given to person being interviewed?

Phase 9: Evaluation

Evaluate the info obtained and your own performance.

• Does your documentation reveal certain questions were not asked about details of case?
• What are indicators that rapport was effectively built?

​

​

Video Evaluation:

• Did the interviewer effectively decrease anxiety through rapport building?
• If not, what could have they done differently?
• What ECI techniques could have been used to maximize recall of the information?

​

Consult with supervisors about interviews, review cases with them and practice interviewing techniques.

​

​

​

​

Conclusion

Final questions- please take self off mute

​

What is one thing you will use in your work that was covered in this course?

Enter in chat box but wait to press enter.

Evaluations

Thank you for your hard work in today’s workshop and for what you do to improve the safety and well-being for others in our community.

​

Feedback is crucial- please complete evaluations.

Thank You!