When is In My Shoes useful?
In My Shoes is useful in a range of contexts and settings. These include:

1. •Enabling a child to talk about their experiences, thoughts, feelings and wishes.
   

2. •Helping a child to talk about their experience of living in their current, or previous family or other care settings.
   

3. •Contributing to an assessment of the likelihood of significant harm and abuse and neglect.
   

4. •Contributing to assessment and planning about a child's rehabilitation to their birth family.
   

5. •Gathering a child's wishes and feelings about being fostered, moving to an adoptive family.
   

6. •Communicating about pain and discomfort past or present, including children in hospital.
   

7. •Assessing the needs of a sibling group.
   

8. •Talking about school with a child - learning, friendships, relationships with teachers and others.
   

9. •Enabling children with learning disabilities or hearing impairments to communicate.
   

10. •Helping children with problems in concentration to focus.
    

11. •Engaging adolescents who find face-to-face interviews challenging.
    

12. •Talking with a young person about leaving care.
    

13. •Communicating with vulnerable adults.
    

Who can use In My Shoes?
Any professional working with children who engages in interviewing may find it helpful. It has been used by psychologists, social workers, child psychiatrists, other mental health staff, health workers, educational workers and specialists in forensic services. In My Shoes enhances the skills of practitioners and clinicians in direct work with children and young people.

Professionals require training to be able to use In My Shoes effectively. There is a two-day training course based on an action learning approach. The two training days are separated by a number of weeks, which enables trainees to try out In My Shoes in their work setting in between the training days.