Empowering Change for Unplanned Interviews with Children

Empower Your Journey: True Life Care ... Trauma Recovery: Physical and Emotional

Empowering Change for Unplanned Interviews with Children

Going back almost a decade, there was no law in place to support me as someone who had experienced a coercive controlling relationship for several years. I did however receive the local support of Hull DAP and had my very own support worker, without this support I wouldn’t have moved forward with my life as much as I have done.

There was an experience within my journey in which I was pulled into an interview with the police, I assumed the meeting was to deliver a response to the first interview and to deliver the CPS decision. This wasn’t the case at all, I travelled 30 miles to a location, it was within the lockdown, there was a detective and a police officer to accompany me on this meeting. Once I discovered exactly why I was there, I was immediately triggered and I was instantly started re living what I had suffered, I was dissociating, shaking, couldn’t respond and on my own. I didn’t have my domestic abuse support worker with me, my partner wasn’t with me and I the police watched me. Having no idea what to do, they tried talking to me to reassure me I was safe. I didn’t know how I was going to drive home, I was feeling sick, I was in and out of reality and there was no need for any of this.

This event stuck with me for weeks and I still remember what it felt like thinking back to it. I can’t imagine what it would be like if I were a child were to go through a similar experience.

Nikolai Springfield got in touch with me to explain what had happened to her 6 year old and that was interviewed in an unplanned way.

At just 6 years old, our child, who has additional support needs, endured physical and sexual assault at school. But the betrayal didn’t end there. The subsequent investigation by police and social work was fraught with negligence, leading to a devastating conclusion: our child was labelled a liar, and the perpetrator faced no repercussions.

Our child is autistic, with pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). PDA makes them go to great lengths to avoid demands, even questions. The authorities failed to consider this when conducting their unplanned interview, violating government guidelines.

After nearly two years, we finally received validation from the Police Independent Review Commission: the authorities had not planned the interview appropriately.

We’ve lost friends and even family support in this battle, but we refuse to stand down. For if they can do this to us, they can do it again, to another innocent child and another shattered family.

A GoFund me page has been set up by Nikolai who wants to take legal action against the authorities that have failed her child. It’s needed so that they can pay for solicitor fees, psychological support for her family and to create public awareness initiatives. Empowering change for unplanned interviews with children.

It’s not the only way that you can help with Nikolai’s cause, you can share her GoFund me or this blog post using #JusticforPJ.

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With the success of three kickstarter campaigns I know that crowdfunding can make a difference.

Together we are Louder!