The seminar, delivered by DOĞANAY, provided informative insights into how child development specialists working in Child Monitoring Centers adopt approaches that consider the developmental characteristics of children during forensic interviews. The presentation emphasized the importance of using age-appropriate language tailored to children's cognitive capacities, emotional states, and expressive abilities. Experts highlighted the critical role of creating a safe environment for children, avoiding potentially traumatizing elements, and maintaining an empathetic, non-judgmental attitude to ensure the forensic process proceeds in a healthy manner.
DOĞANAY shared her experiences at the CMC, offering examples of how to formulate questions according to the developmental levels of children from various age groups. She particularly underscored the necessity of using open-ended and non-suggestive questions when interviewing younger children. The seminar also addressed how child development specialists contribute to multidisciplinary collaboration by sharing the findings of psychosocial assessments with other professionals. This approach not only safeguards children's rights but also enhances the reliability of judicial proceedings.
Highlighting the importance of integrating child development professionals within judicial settings, DOĞANAY called attention to the need for increased employment opportunities in this field. The seminar concluded with a Q&A session, during which students' questions were answered.
