CONDUCTOR: João Lázaro, APAV – Portuguese Association for Victim Support

DESCRIPTION:

The need to guarantee the quality and uniformity of the support provided by a nationwide victim support organisation, has led to investing the construction of a case management platform.

SAVE is an online digital incident reporting platform which brings a more humanised approach to in-person, or remote victim support. SAVE is capable of complying with all data acquisition requirements, all while plotting a diagram of the events which makes reading and analysing each case, not only faster, but far more relatable. It also allows a victim support agent to use other tools to conduct interviews, such as a digital audio recorder, which later can be transcribed.

Due to the highly sensitive nature of the data that is stored, our security concerns are paramount and SAVE has been built according to the highest security standards. SAVE has also been designed to produce rich data analysis and real-time statistical reporting.

In this workshop participants will have the opportunity to learn about this Case Management System and the challenges associated with its development.

CONDUCTORS: Laura Montanari & Federica Mozzorecchia, Rete Dafne Italy

DESCRIPTION:

Rete Dafne will present a theoretical introduction to the phenomenon of secondary victimization and its related aspects. Subsequently, a video will be shown, portraying the myth of Medusa in a modern context as it represents one of the earliest stories featuring a form of secondary victimization. Following the talkideo, questions arising will be addressed.

CONDUCTOR: Sofia Barlind, Victim Support Sweden

DESCRIPTION:

The presentation will cover Victim Support Sweden’s recently launched victim feedback programme which consists of two parts:

1. An evaluation of services survey – a digital short survey offered to all clients a short time after the client’s case is closed. Main focus of this survey is to collect feedback on victim support in order to improve our services. Launched in autumn 2022.
2. A follow-up interview – a longer survey done via phone interview around 6 months after the case is closed. Main focus of the interview is to collect victim’s experiences with going through the entire justice system in order to better understand the clients’ needs, challenges overall and to, if possible, ascertain the impact of support. Ultimate aim is to use the data collected to become a better advocate for victims’ needs in Sweden. Launched January 2024. The presentation will go through the process of setting up the digital survey, the technical/practical’ challenges, the thought behind the questions asked and, of course, the results of the survey.

In its first year, this survey had over 5000 participants, all of them connected to statistics in Victim Support Sweden’s case management system which opens up many possibilities to slice the data across gender, age, crime and so on. The survey is now a part of Victim Support Sweden’s internal quality control – results are broken down by local office and shared with each one of their 60 offices in order to take feedback into account and improve services.

Conductor: Alexia Zalaf, University of Nicosia

DESCRIPTION:

The proposed talk aims to introduce the Kids in Court Psychoeducational Tool (KiCPsy Tool) to attendees. Developed by a collaborative team led by Dr. Marilena Kyriakidou at Sheffield Hallam University, in conjunction with Dr. Alexia Zalaf from the University of Nicosia and Joanna Drousiotou from the Hope for CRC Policy Centre (Children’s House), the KiCPsy Tool comprises four mini board games designed to aid children involved in alleged child sexual offense cases during court proceedings. Its primary objectives are to enhance children’s understanding of the legal process and alleviate their court-related anxiety through interactive gameplay.

Preliminary trials conducted at the Children’s House in Cyprus have shown promising results, indicating the tool’s potential to mitigate stress and enhance knowledge among child participants, while also improving the efficacy of practitioner support. The proposed side event involves a hands-on workshop where conference attendees will engage with the KiCPsy Tool by actively playing the board games in groups. Each group will rotate through the four sub-games, facilitating a comprehensive exploration of the tool’s functionalities and benefits. This interactive session aims to provide participants with first-hand experience of the tool’s utility and foster discussions on its potential applications in supporting children involved in legal proceedings.

CONDUCTORS: Lenne Indov & Kati Arumäe, Estonian Social Insurance Board

DESCRIPTION:

Explore the Estonian Social Insurance Board’s efforts in victim support and safety restoration. This talk delves into the agency’s structure, highlighting its Victim Support Department and the critical services it offers, including a longstanding victim support service operational for 18 years and a newer Support for Abandonment of Violence service operating for 3 years. These services provide essential assistance through crisis hotlines and face-to-face counseling for both victims and perpetrators.

The discussion focuses on the challenges and benefits of housing victim support workers and perpetrator counselors within the same institution, considering Estonia’s recent adoption of the Victim Support Act. The talk allows participants to engage with the complexities of victim-perpetrator dynamics and understand the significance of cooperation in creating a safer society. Join us in exploring effective strategies for victim protection and promoting collaboration together with a victim support worker and a counsellor for the perpetrator to end violence.

CONDUCTOR: Georgia Chondrou, CESIE

DESCRIPTION:
CESIE, an organisation dedicated to intercultural training, presents a speed talk led by Project Manager and Trainer, Georgia Chondrou. This session emphasises enhancing the intercultural communication skills of health and social care professionals to effectively identify and support victims of gender-based violence (GBV) in diverse cultural settings. CESIE, actively involved in the Rights & Justice Unit, addresses the inadequacy of protection systems in recognizing GBV indicators in culturally diverse contexts, particularly evident in Palermo, Italy.

The talk aims to showcase practices that enhance the well-being of GBV victims by promoting early recognition of signs, considering cultural factors, and strengthening the intercultural communication skills of professionals involved in protection systems.

Conductor: gigi guizzo, Rinova.es

Description:

This speed talk will introduce the collaborative efforts of victim support services, NGOs, government services, and companies to support women survivors of domestic violence (DV) in the workplace, drawing on insights from EU-funded projects. It will highlight the importance of cross-sectoral partnerships in developing and implementing effective support strategies for DV survivors. Attendees will hear about innovative practices and free resources available for professionals, researchers, and organizations eager to enhance their support mechanisms for survivors. The presentation aims to inspire actionable steps towards creating safer, more supportive work environments for women overcoming DV.

Conductors: Renate Schwarz-Saage, The Deutsches Forum für Kriminalprävention; Christina Storck, ReSi+ Resilienz und Sicherheit

DESCRIPTION:

Resilience and safety – ReSi+ is a scientifically developed and positively evaluated prevention programme against domestic and sexual violence. It was developed at the Nuremberg Georg Simon Ohm University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the German Foundation for Crime Prevention (DFK) and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Justice.

The fact that prevention is most effective when it starts early, approaches several levels at the same time and is anchored in the living environment of families, ReSi+ aims at 3 to 6-year-old children, their parents and educational professionals in kindergartens. It is implemented by kindergarten teachers and integrated into the day-to-day life of the kindergarten:

• Children are strengthened in their resilience and encouraged to communicate and cope with any stressful feelings and experiences. Promoting the children’s language skills and their ability to name body parts and talk about feelings and experiences is a key role for disclosure processes.
• Educators are trained in the implementation of the programme by certified ReSi+ trainers. Through the link with educational goals of this age group, ReSi+ can be easily integrated into everyday life in kindergartens. Moreover, kindergarten teachers receive training on dealing with suspected cases of sexual and domestic violence.
• Parents receive information on child protection, violence prevention and regional and national support services.

ReSi+ is implemented throughout Germany. It is a central goal to network all players in a region with one another to protect children from sexualised and domestic violence.