Starting in September 2018, I am ready to begin a three-year doctoral research project which will help improve the interview skills of police officers in Staffordshire, in particular for cases where they interview child victims of sexual abuse.
I have been fortunate enough to develop a research proposal with two supervisors at Keele University, which has been approved, and a place at the university has been offered to me. Unfortunately the only thing preventing the research form going ahead is a lack of funding!
The research comes at a really important time, when as many as 1 in 20 children suffer sexual abuse, and the importance of the forensic interview with child victims is increasing. Developing a new interviewer training program is essential for increasing conviction rates in cases of child sexual abuse.
Studying a PhD is my dream, and the results of this research will have really important real-world implications for children who suffer sexual abuse.