This article discusses the Cornerhouse Forensic Interview Protocol, RATAC, developed by Cornerhouse (https://www.cornerhousemn.org/), a non-profit interagency child abuse evaluation and training center located in Minneapolis, MN.
The Cornerhouse Forensic Interview Protocol known as RATAC (Rapport, Anatomy Identification, Touch Inquiry, Abuse Scenario, and Closure) is a semi-structured non-directive questioning process for use with alleged victims of child sexual abuse. The protocol takes into consideration factors affecting development, and development considerations such as memory, attention span, comprehension, simple versus complex language, and concrete versus abstract concepts. The paper includes guidelines for asking age-appropriate questions for child victims on who, what, when, and where, and the ability to provide a structured report and contextual details of the alleged incident. Guidelines are also provided for how to ask specific types of questions when conducting forensic interviews based on the child's age and the appropriateness of the questions. The researchers note that the use of effective interview protocols are necessary to maintain a careful balance between ensuring the safety of the alleged child victims and protecting the rights of alleged offenders of child abuse during the investigative process.