The Four-Day SAFE training is designed for interviewers who are actively working in a Child Advocacy Center, to more effectively communicate and gather information from alleged victims of elder abuse and neglect in the most reliable and legally defensible manner. The training is founded in forensic interviewing best practices with considerations and adaptations to account for age-related declines in cognition, underlying neuropathology (e.g., dementia, Alzheimer’s), language capacity, and cultural background. Participants learn through readings, didactic instruction, video examples, case scenarios, and participating in activities throughout the training. All attendees complete a practicum that is scored on a pass/fail basis.

November 13th-16th from 8:00 AM- 5:00 PM each day

Location
9094 E. 131st Street
Fishers Indiana 46038

Minimum Requirements:

• Completion of a training course in interviewing victims and witnesses (min. 32 hours)

• Completion of 100 interviews and/or a minimum 2 years experience working with older adults and/or an expert review/letter of recommendation

Speakers

Dermot Whelan, Police Sgt., Retired, Senior Consultant

Dermot Whelan is a Senior Consultant for Modell Consulting Group, LLC. Mr. Whelan was instrumental in the development of an advanced Forensic Interviewing Protocol for interviewing individuals with disabilities (Project FIND) and older adults (SAFE). Prior to joining MCG, Mr. Whelan served as a Criminal Investigator with the New York State Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Mr. Whelan was primarily responsible for conducting and supervising criminal investigations stemming from allegations of abuse and neglect against vulnerable people who receive services through New York State-operated, licensed, or certified agencies. Before specializing in investigating crimes against individuals with disabilities, Mr. Whelan started his police career in 1991 as a member of the New York City Housing Police and attended the NYC Police Department’s Police Academy. After several years of policing housing projects in the Bronx, Mr. Whelan took a position with the City of Albany Police Department where he served as a Patrolman, Detective, and Sergeant.

Staci Whitney, L.M.S.W.

Staci Whitney, LMSW is the Senior Director for Modell Consulting Group, LLC (MCG). Since 2017, Ms. Whitney has been responsible for teaching and co-authoring training on interviewing individuals from vulnerable populations. Specifically, Ms. Whitney led two projects which included contributions from other national experts to develop advanced Forensic Interviewing protocols for interviewing individuals with disabilities (Project FIND) and older adults (SAFE). Prior to her work with MCG, Ms. Whitney was the Senior Forensic Interviewer at Bivona Child Advocacy Center in Rochester, NY, and was responsible for developing Bivona’s Forensic Interviewing Program. During that time, Ms. Whitney had extensive training and experience in the field of Forensic Interviewing including interviewing individuals with disabilities who are victims or witnesses of crime. She has developed and delivered numerous trainings to Multidisciplinary Team Members internationally on recognizing and responding to suspicions and reports of abuse, neglect, and maltreatment.

Kate Homan, MS, Senior Consultant

Kate Homan, MS is a Senior Consultant for Modell Consulting Group, LLC. Since 2017, Ms. Homan has assisted in teaching and co-authoring multiple multidisciplinary trainings. This included leading the development of the first-of-its-kind project collaborating with national experts to develop a forensic interviewing model for interviewing adults (FIND Foundations); in addition to co-authoring the suite of Project FIND training including, but not limited to an advanced forensic interviewing model for interviewing individuals with disabilities and an interviewing model with adaptations for individuals who do not speak (FIND Adapted). In addition to developing and delivering FIND trainings, Ms. Homan has spent over 7 years interviewing children who have experienced abuse and trauma serving as the Lead Forensic Interviewer at the New Orleans Children’s Advocacy Center (NOCAC). Ms. Homan provides training for professionals on interviewing children using the RADAR Forensic Interview Model and advanced multidisciplinary topics.