We believe our role is to have a voice for those who cannot be heard. We achieve this by adapting to individual client and/or resident needs. Prior to an interview, our investigators review individual Care Plans, Case Plans, Communication Profiles and Behaviour Support Plans to ensure they have the best possible understanding of the interviewee. We then adopt a range of investigative interviewing techniques with the person’s disability or cognitive impairment at the centre of the interview. For example, some clients/residents prefer play-based activities and drawing, while others prefer the use of dolls and/or augmentative communication styles. We believe it is important to ensure each interviewee has the opportunity to be heard in their own unique way.
Our interviews are conducted in an environment where the interviewee is most comfortable. To ensure this, we write to the interviewee and include a picture of each investigator prior to any interview being conducted, and we obtain their consent to participate in the interview. This process enables key workers and/or carers to inform the interviewee of who we are and why we are coming to speak with them.
Our methods comply with the Rules of Evidence; we obtain consent to audio record and we test truth and lies to ensure open-ended questions are asked during the interview. It is also important to note that our interviews are admissible in all legal environments; we do this to ensure the people you support are not subjected to multiple interviews, and our interview can be shared with police and the relevant governing body.