Investigating a Train-the-Trainer Model of Supervision and Peer Review for Child Interviewers in Canadian Police Services

This project, conducted in one Canadian province, investigated whether a train-the-trainer model of supervision and peer review could improve the interviewing skills of police officers new to interviewing children. At 6 police services, 2 “interview specialists” were chosen by criteria (e.g. having conducted > 30 interviews with children), commitment (minimum 2 years to project), and performance evaluation of a mock and field interview. Specialists received additional training on leading group peer review and individual supervision. They carried out these activities over a 9-month period with 3–4 trainees (new interviewers) per site. Trainees’ interview performance was evaluated with mock and field interviews pre and post intervention. Qualitative interviews about project feasibility were carried out with the specialists at the end of the project, and the results of those interviews comprise the focus of this paper. At the time of the qualitative interviews, only 9 specialists and 5 sites remained in the project. Their interviews revealed that organizational buy-in was critical theme. Other emergent themes were that (different) training is needed for all levels of interviewing experience including interview specialists, that peer review formats are not one-size-fits-all across services, and that fostering a culture of peer review enhances cohesion.