Police Scotland and Social Work Scotland are working in partnership with the Scottish Government to take forward recommendations of the Evidence and Procedure Review to improve the quality and consistency of Joint Investigative Interviews (JIIs) of children.
The aim is that JII statements can be used as Evidence in Chief and contribute to the range of improvements being made to remove the need for children to give evidence in court and so reduce the potential of further trauma for child victims and witnesses.
A Project Team comprising six experienced practitioners and managers from police and social work is  managed jointly by Police Scotland and Social Work Scotland. The project team, based at the Police College in Tulliallan, began this work at the end of November 2017.
The team are
- drawing on national and international research and best practice to create a model for Joint Investigative Interviewing tailored to the Scottish context;
- writing the training for JII’s which recognises the depth of knowledge and skills required for this complex work;
- working with the Scottish Social Services Council and Police Scotland to align the training with national standards for police and social workers;
- designing national standards for quality assuring JIIs, supervising and appraising staff for the task; and
- making recommendations for the revised statutory guidance.
You can read more about the national rollout of JII training here. (This link will take you to the COSLA website)
