Course Details

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This five-day course combines two of Dr Sullivan's most popular courses – Understanding Child Sex Offenders and Interviewing Sex Offenders – to provide a comprehensive insight into understanding the behaviour of perpetrators of sexual crimes against children. Participants then apply this knowledge to create more effective interview strategies.

By understanding how and why sexual abuse takes place, those working at the front line of child protection are better placed to intervene and safeguard the most vulnerable in society. Providing child protection through a greater understanding of how sex offenders operate is the ethos behind the Mentor Interview Technique. This comprehensive specialist interview system has been specifically designed to enhance the skills and knowledge base of those professionals who interview child sex offenders in the course of law enforcement investigations, child protection evaluations and risk assessment and/or management of offenders.

Topics covered include

• The role of behavioural analysis
• Myths and facts about child sexual abuse
• Theoretical perspective – the spiral of sexual abuse
• Travelling sex offenders
• Women who sexually abuse children
• Organised groups of sex offenders
• Internet child sexual exploitation-implications for those that safeguard children
• What encourages engagement in interview
• How theory informs practice in interview planning
• Advanced techniques and practical skills in interviewing child sexual offenders
• Offence analysis and sexual offending against children
• Identified subject profiling
• The Sullivan Behavioural Analysis Tool (S-BAT)
• Complex Spiral Grid
• Manipulation styles
• Denial Typologies
• Life History Timelines
• The Projected Personalities Matrix (PPM)
• Protocols for interview planning
• Designing a layered interview approach
• Demonstrations of interview planning and the delivery of interview strategy

What Participants Gain

This course provides core knowledge and skills for those whose work involves interviewing or meeting with sex offenders. It is particularly relevant to offender managers, social workers, and public protection officers. The content is beneficial to those engaged in risk assessments, intervention programmes, investigation and/or risk management.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the prevalence of child sexual abuse and the degree to which criminal records reflect a perpetrators pattern of sexual offending
• Recognise the myths and facts about child sexual abuse
• Comprehend the role which behaviour analysis can play in facilitating a better understanding of offender behaviour
• Identify common characteristics of offending behaviour
• Plan for more effective offender interviews & meetings
• Use behavioural analysis tools to create accurate risk assessments
• Understand how offender motivations and justifications create a ‘spiral of abuse’
• Better decide what are the important questions to ask each offender
• Recognise grooming & manipulation more readily
• Understand the key features and issues related to women who sexually offend
• Distinguish the importance of identifying those offenders who travel to facilitate the sexual exploitation of children
• Identify the prevalence and key features of offenders who engage in group based child sexual exploitation
• Comprehend the risk factors related to sex offenders who view/download indecent images of children.
• Use advanced techniques and practical skills to encourage engagement in interview
• Apply theoretical techniques to plan effective interviews
• Better analyse sexual offending against children
• Profile a subject
• Understand and apply the Sullivan Behaviour Analysis Tool (S-BAT)
• Utilise the Projected Personalities Matrix (PPM)
• Design a layered interview approach

Dr Sullivan is a Registered Forensic Psychologist, holding a PhD in Forensic Psychology, a Masters Degree in Criminology, a Diploma in Psychology, a Degree in applied Social Sciences, and a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work. Dr Sullivan is an honorary lecturer in Forensic Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK.

Dr Sullivan has worked with police officers, social workers, probation officers, faith groups and educationalists to provide insights into the motivations, thoughts and behaviours of child sex offenders. He undertakes assessments for Social Service Departments, Probation, Churches and Education bodies and is an expert witness in the criminal, civil and family courts.

Dr Sullivan has worked extensively in law enforcement, assisting police forces with investigations into the sexually motivated abduction, murder and assault of children. Dr Sullivan was the Chief Forensic Psychologist in the Behaviour Analysis Unit at CEOP, receiving a Chief Constable's Commendation for his contribution to the investigation of the sexually motivated abduction and murder of a child in 2001.

Dr Sullivan has also undertaken assessment and therapeutic intervention work with women who sexually abuse children and adults accused or suspected of professional sexual misconduct. Part of his work also includes the assessment and treatment of adult survivors of child sexual abuse.

Dr Sullivan has published and presented papers to national and international conferences on the techniques he uses for engaging, assessing and interviewing sexual offenders.

Currently available courses and events can be found here