Children in Scotland who are subject to child protection interviews should be interviewed jointly by specially trained police officers and social workers who have attended training based on a national curriculum. This study, which was conducted in two Strands, explores the effectiveness of the training, focusing specifically on the free narrative phase of the interview. Strand A explores respondents' self‐evaluation, obtained through semi‐structured interviews with 16 participants, while Strand B comprises an analysis of 21 role‐play interviews. The findings show a considerable discrepancy between perceived practitioner confidence in ability and actual skill levels observed in role‐plays, where interviewers showed a persistent overuse of specific and closed questions, while neglecting the use of open prompts and open questions to encourage free narrative. The study concludes that the national curriculum is not as effective in preparing participants for the free narrative phase of the interview as perceived by participants. Possible reasons are explored. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. ‘A considerable discrepancy between perceived practitioner confidence in ability and actual skill levels’ Key Practitioner Messages Child protection interview staff were confident in their ability to conduct a free narrative phase in line with Scottish Government guidance. The curriculum for joint investigative interview training in Scotland appears to be based on an overly optimistic view of baseline skills amongst police officers and social workers. Greater attention may need to be given to ongoing support for both police officers and social workers involved in joint investigative interviews. ‘Greater attention may need to be given to ongoing support for both police officers and social workers’