Module descriptions

6:2 Interviewing Vulnerable Persons

Interviewing Vulnerable PersonsPhoto by UNHCR

Persons seeking asylum often come from a threatening or traumatic environment in their home country. They may furthermore have distressing experienced when fleeing their country. As a consequence asylum seekers may have developed trauma, which may influence both the amount of information as well as the manner in which the information is provided during the interview.

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Target group: Experienced case officers.
Entry level: A minimum of two years of experience as a case officer interviewing asylum seekers.
Available languages: English.

One objective of the module is to provide participants with knowledge in symptoms and effects of posttraumatic stress syndromes and how to handle other vulnerable persons in need of particular care when being interviewed, like vulnerable females, persons with mental health issues etc. Cultural aspects are taken into consideration. Another objective is to provide skills to perform an interview with traumatised or other vulnerable persons in a professional, respectful and sympathetic manner.

Content

This module provides knowledge and skills at an advanced level in assessing the credibility of the asylum seeker whilst paying attention to their psychological and cultural background.

Objectives

At the end of the training participants will have gained knowledge in:

  • Post-traumatic-stress-syndrome and other trauma syndromes or other situations where applicants are in need of particular care when being interviewed.
  • Policy and legal issues regarding interviewing traumatised asylum seekers.
  • The reasons why people can be afraid to tell their story because of the consequences this story can have.
  • The effects of the behaviour and attitude of the interviewer on the applicant and the amount of information the interviewer will (or will not) gather.

At the end of the training, participants will be able to:

  • Apply policy and legal issues regarding the consideration of cases from vulnerable asylum seekers.
  • Interview the asylum seeker in a respectful, professional and sympathetic way.
  • Recognise signals of traumatised or other vulnerable asylum seekers expressed in different ways depending on their cultural backgrounds.
  • Reflect on their own behaviour and cope with their emotions.

Methods

Self-studies online comprising case studies, exercises, self-assessment tests and written assignments, combined with a face-to-face session which goes further into the topics in discussions and group exercises.