Forensic Interviewer
Alli Morris
Forensic Interviewer, KIDS Center
About the Position
This position is located in Bend, Oregon, at a child advocacy center and serves 6 different counties in the surrounding area. The primary responsibility of this position is for gathering caregiver histories from families and conducting video-recorded forensic interviews of children ages 4–17. The information collected is then synthesized in a written report. Forensic interviewers also work with child welfare workers, law enforcement, medical providers, and other social service agencies to create a supportive response to child abuse. Plus, as a forensic interviewer, you must be prepared to testify before a grand jury and other court matters as to the results of the interviews with a child. I think this job as a whole is interesting, and I have never heard of a job like this before or just didn’t know about it. The most interesting part would have to be the mix of criminal justice and social work, which is one of the main social work careers that I would like to pursue after graduation.
Question & Answer
How did you find this position?
I found this job on ZipRecruiter as it popped up when I was searching for forensic social work /criminal justice social work jobs.
What are the Minimum Qualifications and emphasize the skills relevant to language majors?
The minimum qualifications for the job include having a bachelor’s degree in social work or another related field as well as at least 5 years of direct experience. The job itself works with children and families, so there is a need to be able to relate to and communicate with children as well as their parents/caregivers. Also having the ability to empathize with clients and self-direct oneself when not working in a team. The job didn’t mention any skills related to language majors other than it states there is an “A Plus” if you have a master’s degree in social work or related field or are bilingual in Spanish.
What are the Preferred Qualifications and emphasize the skills relevant to language majors?
There were no preferred qualifications in the job posting.
What are some other skills that are important for success in this field?
Some skills that are important in this field are critical thinking, the ability to demonstrate complex problem-solving skills, ethical judgment and reasoning, the ability to communicate/work with people from different cultural backgrounds, and the application of knowledge/skills in real-world situations.
What might be helpful to prepare for a language major to prepare for this field or position?
I feel the most helpful thing to prepare for this field is to update my Spanish vocabulary with legal and/or medical terms, as they will be used often when working with individuals in this specific setting. Also just familiarizing myself with different organizations and services around the community where this position is located to better help my clients with information about them. Another thing that may be helpful in this field is to do a certificate or some sort of criminal justice training to learn more about court systems and relevant criminal justice information.
How is proficiency in another language useful or important in this position?
Having proficiency in another language, especially Spanish is important in this position because of its location. The KIDS Center is located in Bend, Oregon, and I personally know from growing up there that Oregon has a large Hispanic population all throughout the state. Therefore, having the ability to speak Spanish will allow me to help more individuals effectively without having to exhaust the resources of using a translator, while also diversifying my experiences working with Spanish-speaking individuals/families.
How is the ability to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds useful or important in this position?
In all social work positions, the social worker has to have the ability to work with diverse populations. You never know who your client is or what they’re going through until you get that information through paperwork or talking to them. Therefore, this is useful because not only can I help native English speakers but also native Spanish speakers who may have a more difficult time navigating and understanding the system.
Anything else interesting to share about the position?
The KIDS Center is the only Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in Central Oregon that has been operating for 25 years!
About the author
name: Alli Morris
institution: Boise State University
Allli is a Social Work and Spanish major at Boise State University.
