How StepWise 360^TM Meets Current Best Practice Expectations for Forensic Interviewing and Training

February 23, 2026

How StepWise 360^TM Meets Current Best Practice Expectations for Forensic Interviewing and Training

Hugues Hervé & Daniel G. Derksen  

For agencies responsible for forensic interviewing, the question is no longer whether best practice guidelines matter, but whether an interviewing model and training program can demonstrably align with evolving evidence, accreditation standards, and workforce realities. This analysis examines how the StepWise 360^TM approach and its associated training program align with three domains of widely accepted best practice:

1. Best practice expectations for child forensic interviewing models
2. Best practice expectations for child forensic interviewer training
3. Best practice expectations for adult learning and professional development

1. Alignment With Best Practice Guidelines for Child Forensic Interviewing

Contemporary forensic interviewing guidelines largely converge around the following: maximizing free recall with broad open-ended questions before narrowing to more focused non-leading questions; minimizing interviewer influence and bias by avoiding leading and suggestive questions; and adapting interviews to developmental and cultural needs.^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5} The StepWise^TM model was developed alongside—and continues to evolve with—this shared empirical foundation, resulting in considerable overlap with other recognized approaches.³

The StepWise 360^TM does not claim uniqueness in its foundational tenets. Instead, its distinguishing feature lies in how those tenets are operationalized to meet four core goals: minimizing negative impact, maximizing evidence integrity, minimizing interviewer bias, and maintaining process integrity.³ Further, the semi-structured nature of the approach provides the flexibility required to adapt the interview to the client, the case, and the context while still upholding best-practices.

The 11 steps of the StepWise 360^TM map onto the phases of a forensic interview detailed by Newlin and colleagues.⁴

Semi-Structured Design Balances Structure and Flexibility

Overly rigid interviewing can decrease disclosure if contextual or developmental factors are ignored. For example, consider the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) protocol. The standard NICHD protocol follows a structured, semi-scripted format, allowing for effective use with minimal training (see Lamb et al., 2007, Appendix A for full protocol).⁶ However, Ahern and colleagues showed that modifications that increase rapport building and provided emotional support in response to reluctance reduced subsequent reluctance compared to the standard protocol.¹ These modifications increased interviewer flexibility, as additional support was provided in response to reluctance. It is this sort of flexibility that the StepWise 360^TM explicitly adopts—a semi-structured framework, labeling its 11 steps as mandatory or “as needed,” and emphasizing interviewer judgment.³

This approach aligns with recent best-practice recommendations in training and skill development. Steele and colleagues⁵ provide a framework of core competencies in protocol adherence, social support, critical thinking, and decision-making that should be developed over the course of an interviewer’s career. They provide a breakdown of behaviours that demonstrate one of three skill levels for each category which is useful for development and training goals, anchoring feedback, and identifying areas for improvement. At Level 3 (i.e., experienced) interviewers “can be expected to consider team input and adapt the protocol structure as needed during the interview, as challenges arise” (p. 16).⁵ That is, they are expected to conduct semi-structured interviews.

This approach also aligns with the National Children’s Alliance (NCA) guidance that interviews must remain developmentally and culturally responsive, legally sound, and neutral, while still following a defensible structure (p. 26).⁷ However, we acknowledge that semi-structured approaches place greater responsibility on training quality and ongoing professional development to prevent interviewer drift.^{8, 9, 10, 5}

Bias Mitigation and Interview Integrity

Best practice guidelines emphasize preparation, hypothesis testing, and minimizing confirmation bias as core safeguards of interview integrity.⁴ The mandatory Prepare Step in StepWise 360^TM directly addresses these concerns by requiring advance consideration of alternative hypotheses, interviewee needs, and contextual constraints, rather than treating preparation as optional.³ This explicit positioning of preparation supports multidisciplinary decision-making and ensures the interview is driven by fact-finding rather than by a desired outcome.

2. Alignment With Best Practice Guidelines for Child Forensic Interviewer Training

The National Standards for Accreditation for Children’s Advocacy Centers specify minimum expectations for forensic interviewer training.⁷ The StepWise 360^TM training program is formally approved by the NCA as meeting (or exceeding) these expectations, including the following:

Skill Development and Ongoing Quality Assurance

The StepWise 360^TM training ecosystem supports the skill progression outlined by Steele and colleagues⁵, recognizing that basic skills need to be developed before advanced ones, and that advanced skills (e.g., managing resistance, probing narratives, tailoring for complex needs) demand experience and ongoing support to apply safely and effectively.⁵

StepWise^TM interviewers start by learning foundational knowledge and skills and the general StepWise^TM framework via asynchronous eCourses before taking instructor-led StepWise^TM workshops to develop practical skills. After this initial training, StepWise^TM interviewers are prepared to start interviewing relatively cooperative interviewees on the job. During instructor-led workshops, participants also learn strategies and tools for giving and receiving constructive feedback and they develop individualized learning plans (i.e., what they need to do moving forward to master each of the interview steps)—both of which aim at promoting continuous (post-workshop) development. As mentioned, this continuing education is essential for preventing “interviewer drift.”^{8, 9, 10, 5}

Following workshops, interviewers are encouraged to develop a peer-review network or to partner with our team for expert-reviews via our StepWise^TM Interview Mentoring (SWIM) program. They can also access Update and Practice sessions designed to: (a) identify and address barriers to successful interviewing; (b) update learners on new developments in the field; and (c) practice areas of deficiencies. This aligns with Steele and colleagues⁵ training framework as well as the NCA standards requiring documented continuing education: a “minimum of eight contact hours every two years” (p. 23)⁷ and “a structured peer review process a minimum of two times per year” (p. 25).⁷

As interviewers master basic skills, they are invited to participate in more advanced workshops that focus on working with reluctant or traumatized clients, adapting interviews when working with people with complex needs, and managing complex cases. As in basic training, interviewers are encouraged to develop individualized learning plans, to set up peer-review networks, and to participate in our SWIM program and advanced Update and Practice sessions. In sum, we offer a variety of courses to serve the needs of interviewers and foster their continued development.

3. Alignment With Best Practice Principles for Adult Learning

StepWise 360^TM training programs are informed by the well-established principles of learning and memory in cognitive science:

Generative Learning

Learners generate ideas and solve problems before and after concepts are explained, promoting integrative learning.^{11, 12}

Distributed Practice and Spacing

Key concepts are revisited over time (e.g., throughout multi-day training) and reinforced through memory retrieval activities to improve long-term retention.¹³

Testing

It is now well established that intermittent testing (knowledge checks, pop quizzes, etc. with feedback) is a powerful tool for reinforcing learning and increasing retention.^{14, 15} StepWise^TM training utilizes pop quizzes to intermittently test concepts.

Addressing the Transfer Problem

The effectiveness of StepWise 360^TM training is maximized by anchoring its delivery in the science of adult learning, ensuring that knowledge and skills are transferred effectively to the field. A significant challenge in training is the transfer problem, where trained skills fail to be consistently applied in the workplace.¹⁶ The StepWise 360^TM program is designed to maximize transfer in a variety of ways.

Content Scaffolding and Learner Support

Training moves slowly from the basics to integrated practice, tuning support to the learner’s knowledge and skills.^{17, 18, 19} This reduces cognitive load which increases transfer.²⁰

Conceptual Relevance

Adult learners benefit most from practice-based, contextually relevant instruction.²¹ The StepWise^TM training model utilizes diverse formats (face-to-face, virtual instructor-led, and blended learning) and experiential activities relate to real demands in forensic workplaces. Specific examples of these activities include:

• Realistic Scenarios and Practice Interviews with Actors: Learners engage in realistic scenarios and practice interviews with actors playing the roles of youth or adults. This activity simulates the forensic interview context and is followed by both self-evaluation and peer review with feedback from the actor’s perspective.
• Bias Mitigation Exercises Using Generative and Problem-Solving Learning: Activities such as the “Hypothesis Generating Exercise” have learners developing multiple hypotheses about a case to counter confirmation bias, applying knowledge to real-world problems.
• Job-Relevant, Targeted Feedback: Participants receive concrete, practical feedback that is behavior-based, strength-based, and corrective, which is essential for skill building and versatile application in the field.⁵
• Continued On-the-job Development: Learners are taught the skills to continue to develop as interviewers as they begin their work in the field. Through individualized learning plans, debriefs, and peer consultation, learners learn to reflect, self-correct, and reinforce learning through real-world application.
• Post-Training Resources: To ensure skills are maintained, the StepWise^TM training provides job aids, checklists, memory aids, and learning guides for use in the field. This aligns with the need to provide access to knowledge repositories and tools that reinforce and supplement learning after formal training concludes.²²

Conclusion

Across interviewing structure, training requirements, and adult learning design, the StepWise 360^TM and its associated training program show strong alignment with current best practice guidelines and accreditation standards. Where StepWise^TM differs—most notably in its early emphasis on flexibility and judgment—it does so transparently and with explicit acknowledgment of the accompanying need for ongoing training, coaching, and accountability.³

For frontline interviewers, this alignment translates into a model that is structured yet adaptable, and training that prioritizes real-world application over rote compliance. For agency leaders, it offers a defensible framework that meets recognized standards while addressing the practical realities of interviewer development, workforce turnover, and quality assurance.

References

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