About
NextGeneration Victim Support
Making change happen for every victim
What does effective victim support look like in practice?
It starts with people: professionals who meet victims at some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
But effective support cannot stop there.
Victims need systems that work together, rights that are implemented in practice, and services that are accessible, coordinated and responsive to their needs.
NextGen Victim Support is a months-long advocacy and storytelling campaign exploring how victim support is evolving across Europe and what it takes to make that change happen.
Through two podcast series, in-depth conversations, short videos and practical resources, the campaign brings together the people, practices and partnerships shaping the next generation of victim support.
Explore the Podcast Catalogue
From Frontline to Commissioner
Language: English
Description
What happens when you move from helping one victim at a time to challenging the system that serves thousands? In this episode, we meet Geraldine Hanna, Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland, and trace the unexpected path that brought her from frontline victim support to a role with the power—and responsibility—to reshape the system.
Against the backdrop of Northern Ireland’s newly adopted Victims and Witnesses Strategy, Geraldine opens up about what meaningful change looks like beyond policy documents: where the system works, where the pieces still don’t quite fit, and what a Commissioner can actually do when it fails.
From Belfast to Paris, this is a conversation about power, persistence, and putting victims at the centre of the system—and what Northern Ireland might teach the rest of Europe.
Host: Francesco Cimino, VSE
Guest: Geraldine Hanna, Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime in Northern Ireland
Podcast director: Sara Maino Multimedia Artist
Script: Marina Kazakova, VSE
Music attribution: Sara Maino
Transcript
Beyond the Perfect Victim
Language: English
Description
What makes someone a “real” victim? In this episode, Franck Wagemakers, Strategic Policy Adviser from Slachtofferhulp Nederland, challenges the stereotypes that shape how victims are judged, believed and supported. From the myth of the “perfect victim” to snap judgments on social media, we explore how public attitudes can either help survivors recover—or make their experience even harder.
With more than 1,000 people engaging in a recent conversation on the issue, the appetite for change is clear. But can victim support move beyond responding to harm and start changing the culture around it? Franck shares why challenging perceptions may be one of the most important frontiers in next-generation victim support.
The host: Francesco Cimino, VSE
Guest: Franck Wegemakers (Strategic Policy Adviser, Victim Support Netherlands)
Podcast director: Sara Maino Multimedia Artist
Script: Marina Kazakova, VSE
Music attribution: Sara Maino
Transcript
What’s Next for Victim Support? Inside APAV’s New Case Management System
Language: English
Description
APAV has come a long way from the days of paper mountains and files that could disappear at the worst possible moment. In this episode, Carmen Rasquete looks at APAV’s latest case management innovation—and how smarter technology is helping an already advanced victim support service work even better.
The narrator:
Francesco Cimino, VSE
Guests:
Carmen Rasquete (Executive Director, APAV)
Podcast director: Sara Maino Multimedia Artist
Script: Marina Kazakova, VSE
Music attribution: Sara Maino
Transcript
From Survivor to Change-Maker: Turning Victims’ Rights into Real Change
Language: English
Description
Nela Kalpic, State Director for Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin and an internationally recognised advocate for victim-centred justice, brings a unique perspective to the conversation—as both a survivor and a leader. Drawing on her experience across different countries, she explores the gap between victims’ rights and strategies that look clear on paper and what victims actually experience on the ground—and what it takes to turn those rights into real change.
The narrator: Francesco Cimino, VSE
Guests: Nela Kalpic, State Director for Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin
Podcast director: Sara Maino Multimedia Artist
Script: Marina Kazakova, VSEMusic attribution: Sara Maino
Podcast director: Sara Maino Multimedia Artist
Script: Marina Kazakova, VSEMusic attribution: Sara Maino
Transcript
Sweden’s Big Shift: How Police and Victim Support Are Connecting Every Victim to Help
Language: English
Description
Sweden has made a major change in how victims of crime are connected to support. We look at how Victim Support Sweden and the police have built a nationwide system linking more than 58 organisations, making it easier for victims to access help quickly and ensuring support is no longer a matter of where you live.
Transcript
NextGen Victim Support: Caring for the People Behind the Frontline
Language: English
Description
Victim support workers carry some of the hardest stories every day—but who supports the people supporting victims? Amanda Herron-Quan of Victim Support New Zealand explores how staff wellbeing has evolved in New Zealand, what organisations can do to prevent burnout, and why looking after frontline workers is ultimately part of delivering better support to victims.
Transcript
Beyond the Frontline
Coming Soon
Contact
For press inquiries, please contact:
Marina Kazakova
Associate Communications Manager
m.kazakova@victimsupporteurope.eu
0032(0)23 46 04 55
For general inquiries, please contact:
Francesco Cimino
Communications Intern
vseintern@victimsupporteurope.eu
0032(0)23 46 04 55
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