A Study on Enhancing Training for Child Abuse Response Personnel: Focusing on Focus Group Interview(FGI) Discussions

The purpose of this study was to explore educational improvement strategies to enhance the investigative interview training competencies of child abuse response personnel.To achieve this, two rounds of focus group interviews (FGIs) were conducted with a total of nine field practitioners, including child abuse investigation officers, abuse prevention police officers(APOs), and social workers from child protection agencies.The analysis revealed that, in the practice of child abuse investigations, one key issue was the lack of effective collaboration among relevant agencies during the response process.Additionally, the insufficient professional expertise of response personnel and the various challenges encountered during the investigative interview were identified as significant problems.As a result of the FGI discussions, educational topics were also determined to address these field-related challenges.Strengthening training on initial response procedures is crucial for ensuring timely and effective interventions.Additionally, more specialized and systematic training on investigative and counseling techniques should be provided.Additionally, the expansion of practice-based training and supervision systems can effectively support the continuous professional development of practitioners.Lastly, to increase both accessibility and effectiveness, the integration of digital technologies, such as virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI), into training programs is recommended.In conclusion, this study suggests that developing a standardized training framework supported by practiceoriented, technology-driven, and sustainable educational approaches effectively enhances the competencies of child abuse response personnel.