Division of Youth Services Administrator Vivian Sablan, second left, with DYS staff and representatives from the Department of Public Safety and the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence at Aqua Resort Club.
THE staff of the Division of Youth Services and partners from the Department of Public Safety and the Northern Marianas Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence completed a one-day child forensic interview refresher training on Sept. 8, 2023, at Aqua Resort Club.
In an interview, DYS Administrator Vivian Sablan said the training was designed for staffers who have completed the child forensic interview certification training in 2017. Follow up training sessions were conducted every two years: in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
Sablan said another series of training sessions, this time for new DYS and multi-disciplinary team staff members, is scheduled for December.
“It is vital that the training continues to ensure that our staff are provided the necessary tools, guidance and support to be able to apply the proper interview techniques with our children victims and children witnesses of child abuse and neglect,” Sablan said.
The DYS Child Protective Services staffers conduct an average of 15 child forensic interviews a month, she said. The recordings of the child forensic interviews conducted are then forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General.
To date, Sablan said DYS has invested over $40,000 in securing interview equipment and an additional $30,000 in ongoing staff training efforts.
She said the training is funded by the Social Services Consolidated Block Grant under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
