ChildFirst™ Virginia is a forensic interview training program presented by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). The training curriculum is provided by the National Child Protection Training Center and CornerHouse, a nonprofit interagency child abuse evaluation and training center located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ChildFirst™ Virginia is designed for multidisciplinary team (MDT) members and is the ideal course for law enforcement officers, child protective service workers, prosecutors, child protection attorneys, and forensic interviewers who are seeking to enhance their ability to speak to and for abused children.

ChildFirst™ Virginia is an intensive five-day course in which students are taught the forensic interviewing protocol RATAC© that was developed by CornerHouse and has been specifically recognized and approved by a number of appellate courts. Students learn the necessary skills to conduct a competent, investigative interview of a child abuse victim using the RATAC© protocol. ChildFirst™ Virginia is a course that challenges and enhances knowledge with reading assignments prior to and each night of the training, and a final exam at the end. The course is interactive, combining lectures with demonstrations and hands-on experience. Students receive feedback and guidance from faculty and have an opportunity for peer review when they conduct an interview with an actor/actress playing the role of an abused child.

Training Location, Size, and Dates

The ChildFirst™ Virginia training will be held June 22-26, 2009 at the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Training Academy in Ashburn, VA and September 21-25, 2009 at the Roanoke Police Training Academy in the City of Roanoke, VA. Forty students will be admitted to attend each week of training.

Faculty

Tuition

The tuition fee to attend this training is $200 per person. Please do not submit payment with your application. Payment will be due upon notification of acceptance into the course.

Application & Brochure

• NEW! :: 2009 Application (.doc, 8 pages)
  
  

Students must submit an application to be considered for admission to the course. Priority will be given to applicants requesting admission as part of a multidisciplinary team, but individual applications will be considered.

Forms

• Training Tape Release - Child Advocacy Center (.doc, 1 page)
• Training Tape Release - Law Enforcement (.doc, 1 page)
• Training Tape Release - Department of Social Services (.doc, 1 page)
• 2009 Application (.doc, 8 pages)

Return to the Children's Justice Act page.