Childhelp.org reports that every year more than 3 million reports of child abuse are made in the US involving more than 6 million children (a report may include multiple children). The US has one of the worst records in child maltreatment among industrialized nations. Child abuse expert witnesses are effective advocates for children and may advise regarding child abuse and neglect, psychological mistreatment of a child, child maltreatment, and child sexual abuse.
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children explains:
The child forensic interview is the neutral fact-finding investigative interview conducted in child abuse and other cases in which violence is witnessed. There are several national and state training models that provide information and training on how to conduct these interviews. Professional certification is akin to licensing. Both are based primarily on rigorous psychometric testing and other empirically supported eligibility requirements.
Principal differences are that professional certification is non-governmental and voluntary, whereas licensing is governmental and non-voluntary. Certification, as a method of promoting worker competence and public safety, has strong theoretical and historical legitimacy when properly implemented, for appropriate populations, at the right time in a profession’s developmental history.
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, founded in 1987, is a nonprofit national organization focused on meeting the needs of professionals engaged in all aspects of services for maltreated children and their families. Especially important to APSAC is the dissemination of state-of-the-art practice in all professional disciplines related to child abuse and neglect.
APSAC achieves its mission of supporting professionals who serve children and families affected by child maltreatment and violence through expert training and educational activities, policy leadership and collaboration, and consultation that emphasizes theoretically sound, evidence-based principles.