Assignments

Together with fellow experts Marieke Blanken, Katrien de Vaan, Els van der Weele and previously also Caroline Mobach, I have been part of an expert team since the end of 2020 that supports municipalities and regions in the implementation of the ‘Working on Safety Guideline. Guideline for municipalities for the assignment of local teams’ (formerly the Quality Framework). Started within the program program ‘Violence doesn’t belong at home nor anywhere’ program, we have now supported more than 50 municipalities, in which we have developed a roadmap with various tools for applying the self-scan and arriving at an improvement plan. We have also further elaborated concepts such as System-oriented working, Trauma-sensitive working and Safety, developed various master classes and written a guideline for the assignment of orders by municipalities. In October 2024, we delivered a work package ‘Working on safety’ commissioned by the national program team Future Scenario Child and Family Protection, which was published in March 2025. This also explicitly links to the Youth Reform Agenda and the Framework for Action for professionals in child and family protection.

I have been leading Drakentemmers since January 2021, which has grown from an innovative regional initiative within the program Violence does not belong anywhere to a national platform. Drakentemmers focuses on the integrated and system-oriented approach to trauma and attachment problems with specialized webinars, ‘live online’ training for therapists and other behavioral scientists and the e-learning curriculum ‘Domestic violence and trauma-sensitive work’ for every professional who encounters domestic violence and trauma in their work. We also identify good practices and bottlenecks. More information: www.drakentemmers.nl.

In December 2024, during an intensive week in Moldova, I evaluated the women’s shelter of the NGO Asociația Împotriva Violenței în Familie “Casa Mărioarei”, at the request of the OAK Foundation, which financially supports the shelter. Casa Mărioarei was founded in 2000 and has since provided safe shelter to more than 1,000 victims of domestic violence and their children and supported them in various areas of life to rebuild their lives. During the week, I spoke with many clients and their children, but also with care providers and chain partners. Upon my return, I incorporated my findings into an advisory report with a reflection on the services provided and recommendations for the future.

Development and implementation of an in-company learning path for four months on project management for social workers who are growing into project leaders. Topics discussed: How do you make strategic choices and choose projects that strengthen the core business of your organization? How do you process a good idea into a ready-made project proposal, with an eye for planning and budgeting? How do you write a pitch and present it to key figures? And finally: how do you lead a project and manage responsibilities and results? The learning path is tailor-made for the participants with the intended result of new project proposals for FairWork.

Together with colleague advisor Els van der Weele, external evaluation of the pilot MDA++ (multidisciplinary approach to domestic violence and child abuse) in the region Northeast Gelderland. Bottlenecks and good practices identified in close consultation with the implementation organizations involved and advice provided on securing the initiative.

After the programme program ‘Violence doesn’t belong at home nor anywhere’, I have been happy to advise the municipality of Almere for another year on tackling domestic violence and child abuse. In doing so, I took on the project leadership of ‘On time in the neighbourhood’, in which specialists from the Blijf Groep and the Zorggroep Oude en Nieuwe Land work closely with professionals in the neighbourhood teams, to offer households and families who are dealing with domestic violence adequate help as early as possible. In addition, I have also focused on establishing the connection between Violence has no place at home and the new programme Future scenario Child and Family Protection.

As regional project leader of the national program ‘Violence doesn’t belong at home nor anywhere’, I took on the pioneering role to further strengthen the approach to domestic violence and child abuse in the Dutch province of Flevoland and to connect all partners involved. Together we have addressed 10 spearheads, ranging from strengthening local (neighborhood) teams and shelter options for victims, to elder abuse, more focus on perpetrators, trauma, conflict divorces, MDA++, human trafficking, children in vulnerable parenting situations and strengthening the ability of professionals to discuss domestic violence with victims and perpetrators. In doing so, we have developed many innovative initiatives, of which Drakentemmers has grown into a national platform.

Project proposal on the early identification of victims of human trafficking in Hungary, with the aim of realizing access to legal support for them. In doing so, I used my network within Hungarian NGOs, international organizations and government agencies that was previously built up in the Safe! project, in which several Hungarian partners were involved.

Amnesty works with a dual system of paid and voluntary employees to which great importance is attached. The volunteers support the paid staff by, among other things, collecting detailed country information on human rights violations and answering questions from politicians, the media and the general public. The evaluation has led to the formulation of new policy regarding the appointment of volunteers and the focus on specific countries.

For Safe! I led a consortium of 13 partner organizations in the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Hungary for two years. Safe! focused on developing strategies and trainings for early identification and safe return and reintegration of victims of human trafficking. The project concluded in October 2018 with an analytical report and a large international Expert Meeting and training event in Sofia, Bulgaria, involving 125+ professionals from 26 European countries. The training modules developed within the Safe! project have also been published for future use by other professionals across Europe.

Quick scan focused on identifying, protection, criminal proceedings and compensation with the aim of achieving a comprehensive approach to human trafficking. The results of the quick scan have been adopted by the Almere board of mayor and aldermen, including the appointment of a care coordinator. In addition, an initiative statement was drawn up based on the quick scan by the chain organizations involved in Flevoland to arrive at a joint approach to human trafficking.

I provided SafetyNed with strategic advice on its EU project proposal that focused on the digital safety of victims of domestic violence and their children. SafetyNed not only focuses on raising awareness among victims themselves to protect their digital safety, but also on the professionals who support them.

Description of innovative working method of two teams that offer treatment and intensive (residential) support to girls aged 12 to 18 who have ended up in prostitution through loverboy constructions, and/or have been exploited in another way, or girls who have a very increased risk of becoming victims. The description of the working method was initially intended as a practical tool for the care providers involved but will eventually result in a certified methodology.

For FairWork I gave a one-day -self-developed- training: ‘From loose idea to subsidy application’. The training consisted of three parts: 1. ‘Choose your Opportunities’: Quickly and effectively analyze new opportunities for project development and fundraising; 2. ‘Successful Writing’: Quickly and efficiently describe relevant information for a project proposal and 3. ‘Panic-free Planning’: Creating a project plan that works. In the morning, the participants got to work on their own new project ideas, which they then measured against a measuring stick to pick out the most promising ideas. In the afternoon, these ideas were further elaborated in a pitch, incl. accompanying project planning. As a result of the training, FairWork will start working on several concrete new project proposals. I developed this training as part of my trainer training at Karin de Galan School for Training.

This project focused on the position of children of foreign victims of human trafficking, domestic violence and/or asylum seekers when reaching a decision on return to the country of origin. The project has produced a methodology with tools for care providers to pay more attention to the position of these children and to actively involve older children in particular in making a decision about the future. The aim was also to gain more insight into the physical and mental health of the children and to deploy additional support for this if necessary.

The three-year project ‘People without a residence permit in the Netherlands’ (2015 – 2017) focused on safeguarding the fundamental rights of irregular migrants in the Netherlands, with three focal points: 1. Detention of foreigners; 2. Forced deportation and 3. Research into basic reception facilities for foreigners without papers (‘Bed Bad Brood’). As an external evaluator, I analyzed the results achieved and provided advice.

Tendering 2018 – 2019 for the highly specialized shelter and support services for victims of human trafficking. HVO-Querido has been supporting victims of human trafficking for decades and has developed into a renowned knowledge organization, both in the Netherlands and internationally. In early December 2017, HVO-Querido was informed by the Ministries of Justice and Security and Health, Welfare and Sport that the contract had been awarded to HVO, so that protection can also be offered to this vulnerable target group in the coming years.

Support for an employee to become proficient in project development and fundraising. The coaching is ‘hands-on’ and tailor-made within CoMensha. In addition, I have written ‘pitches’, including an indicative budget, for new project ideas to submit to relevant subsidy providers. A database of relevant funds has also been developed.

Initiator and project manager. Within Safe Return, a “rights-based” and strength-oriented methodology has been developed to make safe return to the country of origin a topic of discussion with foreign victims of human trafficking and/or domestic violence and other vulnerable groups with residence issues. This methodology, called Safe Future, breaks the taboo on discussing the possibility of return and brings together stakeholders who previously opposed each other. In addition, I have conducted research into the implementation of the methodology in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Bulgaria. As a follow-up, the possibilities for a national roll-out of the Safe Future methodology and the deepening of the methodology regarding children have been explored. The pilot project Safe Return, Safe Future has had two sequels: Safe Future Children (2015-2017) and Safe! (2017-2018). Here too, I took the initiative, developed plans and fundraising and fulfilled the role of project manager and researcher.

Presentation for the Supervisory Board regarding opportunities for Kadera to utilise European Subsidy Lines.

Organization of the congress “30 Years of STV-CoMensha” that on 22 September 2016 commemorated 30 years of combating human trafficking in the presence of 200 representatives from civil society, government and police. The congress also marked the start of the public campaign ‘Open your Eyes’ in which 30 portraits of victims of human trafficking were presented to special guest H.R.H. Princess Beatrix.

Exploration of the possibilities for Kadera to develop a project on domestic violence in collaboration with Aruban organizations. Mapping of relevant chain partners and possible funds.

Advice to women’s shelter Kadera on the EU project “Safe at Home” aimed at training and raising awareness of housing corporations on (prevention of) domestic violence.

Chair of Study Day on Labor Exploitation for care coordinators for human trafficking and other interested parties

Development of international cooperation and exchange between 11 Dutch women’s shelters and partner organizations abroad.

Advising VieJa Utrecht on the further professionalization of the quality policy that was initiated in 2008 with the achievement of the HKZ certificate (Harmonization of Quality Assessment in the Healthcare Sector). Ensuring high quality of service provision and embedding the PDCA cycle (Plan Do Check Act) within the organization. Advising management on points for improvement. Coordination of internal audits from 2010 to 2013 and recertification HKZ in 2011 and 2014.

Two interim assignments:

• Supporting the department head of the strongly strategic and internationally oriented Department Countries and Projects in her reintegration process after extended sick leave.

• Replacement and support for the reintegration after extended sick leave of the Europe coordinator of the same department. Final responsibility for the development of several international projects, including Domestic Violence in Russia and Protection of the Human Rights of LGBT activists in Russia.

Programme in Macedonia, Uganda, Egypt and Vietnam, aimed at supporting sex workers who voluntarily want to work on their career development, incl. the possibility to exit sex work. I was involved as an expert in four areas:

• Needs assessment among sex workers in each of the four countries in close cooperation with local partner organizations, followed by a research report with recommendations for pilot projects.
• Capacity building training of self-organizations of sex workers in Macedonia and Egypt
• Research into global best practices in the field of career development for sex workers
• Final evaluation

Orientation on new possibilities for fundraising for the LOS Foundation. Rewritten and successfully submitted project proposals, including those focused on providing assistance to women and children without a residence permit; a reporting point for undocumented persons in immigration detention; and expanding the legal helpdesk.

Identified opportunities and threats for a new project focused on the future orientation of young unaccompanied asylum seekers.

Developed a policy framework for fundraising and sponsoring.

Based on market research and literature research, advice was provided for the project ‘Safe at Home’, aimed at intensive outpatient care at home for families who want to permanently stop domestic violence.

Writing the ‘Strategic Policy Plan 2011 – 2014’ with a strong emphasis on profiling as a centre of expertise for domestic violence.

Writing and editing of ‘STI HIV/AIDS and Sex Work. Guidelines and Manual for Peer Educators and Trainers’ for the Youth Peer Network of UNFPA. The document provides guidelines for ‘peer educators’ and trainers who work with sex workers.

A comparative literature study on the occasion of World Aids Day on 1 December 2008, which highlights the extent to which recommendations from research into the social position and health of sex workers in the Netherlands are translated into practice.

Five welfare organizations in four regions in the Netherlands developed interventions to promote the automy and resilience of sex workers. I wrote the final report for the grant provider and the project proposal for a possible follow-up trajectory.

Research into young people in prostitution in the municipality of Apeldoorn. The research formed the prelude to further chain cooperation around human trafficking within the municipality of Apeldoorn.