Preparing Children for Court - Institute for Child Witness Research and Training

Preparing Children for Court: Training Course

The training course, ‘Preparing Children for Court’, is a specialised course aimed at persons who offer court preparation.  The course takes place over five days from 8H00 until 17H00. Click the read more button to find out more information about this programme.

The training course, ‘Preparing Children for Court’, is a specialised course aimed at persons who offer court preparation.  The course takes place over five days from 8H00 until 17H00.

Course content
The course covers the following modules and practicals:

* Introductory lecture
* Communicating with children
* Trauma
* Psychological development
* Working in groups
* Rapport building
* Working with parents
* The need and scope of preparation
* The role of the facilitator
* Legal issues
* Use of the programme, tools and activities (as per each module and each programme)
* Practical role-play of each module of each programme

Course materials
The participants receive all necessary materials for both the training course as well as for the presentation of the programme to each group, namely, the 3-6 year olds, 7-12 year olds, adolescents and parents/caregivers.  The materials provided include:

* Training course file
* Facilitator file for 3-6 year old programme
* Facilitator file for 7-12 year old programme
* Facilitator file for adolescent programme
* Published textbook entitled ‘Preparing Children for Court:
* A Handbook for Practitioners’
* A set of booklets corresponding to each programme, including
* The Story of Bobo and Annie (3-6 year olds)
* The Story of Zack and Thandi (7-12 year olds)
* The Story of Joe and Thembi (adolescents)
* A Guide for Parents and Caregivers of Child Witnesses
* A toolkit set corresponding to each programme (one per organisation)

Learning Outcomes for the Training Course
On completion of the five day training course the participant will:

* know how to communicate with children in a developmentally appropriate and legally acceptable way;
* understand child communication;
* understand children’s perceptions of court;
* understand the effect of testifying on the child witness;
* understand the effect of trauma and related behavioural indicators;
* understand child development relevant to each age group;
* know how to work with children in groups;
* know how to work with activities and related tools;
* know who to build rapport with child witnesses and their parents/caregivers;
* know how to work with parents;
* know how to work with adolescents;
* understand the need and scope of preparation;
* understand the role of the facilitator;
* understand the basic aspects of the legal system relevant to child witnesses, including:
* the criminal justice system;
* bail;
* the accusatorial system;
* the trial;
* the competency test; and
* the special courtroom; and
* be able to present each  programme, using the appropriate tools and activities (as per each module).