Content warning: This episode discusses sexual violence, forensic evidence collection, and the barriers Survivors face within legal and health systems.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, we sit down with Victoria Donkin, social worker and health equity researcher at She Matters, a Survivor-led organization working to improve access to justice and care for people impacted by sexual violence. Victoria is leading the first Canadian research examining the feasibility of supported self-collection of sexual assault evidence. She takes us through what these kits are, what they are not, and what it would take to make them work within Canadian health, forensic, and legal systems.

Together, we look at how early evidence kits are already used in the UK, Australia, and Kenya, unpack the chain of custody and admissibility questions that come with self-collection, and put the harder concerns on the table directly. Does supported self-collection replace forensic nurses, or does it reach Survivors the current system never touches? Who holds the chain of custody when the person in the room is a trained support worker rather than a forensic nurse? And can a practice stand up in court before it has ever been tested there?

A must-listen for forensic nurses, front-line health workers, community advocates, legal practitioners, policymakers, and anyone thinking about what access to evidence looks like outside the norm.

Beyond the Status Quo: Supported Self-Collection after Sexual Assault (Episode 9)

Content warning: This episode discusses death investigation, sudden and unexpected death, and the medical, legal, and systemic realities of how deaths are examined in Canada.

Death investigation is not just the work of coroners and pathologists. Across Canada, forensic nurses bring clinical insight, trauma-informed practice, and a holistic understanding of the person behind the case and yet they remain largely invisible in this space.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, we sit down with CFNA President Liz Louden, a forensic nurse with extensive experience in death investigation. Together, we unpack what death investigation means in the Canadian context, how coroner and medical examiner systems differ across provinces, which deaths are reportable and why, and what nurses bring to this work that other disciplines do not. We also explore forensic nursing roles in MAID deaths and why this career pathway remains underutilized.

Beyond the Body: Forensic Nurses in Death Investigation (Episode 8)

Content warning: This episode discusses intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and memory preservation following trauma.

Many survivors of intimate partner violence or sexual assault are not ready to report to police right away, and sometimes not ever. But memory fades. Details blur. And when survivors are finally ready to move forward, the clarity of what happened may already be gone.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, Forensic Nurse Practitioner Hannah Varto sits down with Bruce Pitt-Payne, a retired police officer who now offers trauma-informed victim statement interviews for people who want to preserve their memory of an incident without entering the criminal justice system.

Bruce breaks down how survivor-led statement interviews work, why capturing memory early matters before trauma and time distort recall, what confidentiality protections survivors retain, and how this tool protects choice and autonomy. The discussion explores who benefits from this service and how it creates pathways that do not force survivors into decisions they are not ready to make.

Beyond the Statement: Survivor-Centered Preservation of Memory to Protect Choice (Episode 7)

Content warning: This episode discusses sexual violence, forensic evidence collection, and the barriers Survivors face within legal and health systems.

Canada's national sexual assault evidence kit didn't happen by accident. It was built by someone who understood both the science and the stakes.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, we sit down with Cathy Carter-Snell, experienced forensic nurse examiner and one of the professionals behind the revision of Canada's RCMP Sexual Assault Evidence Kit. Cathy takes us inside the process of building the kit-- the collaborations, the decisions, and the work that went into turning a patchwork of outdated protocols into something consistent, credible, and grounded in forensic expertise.

Together, we trace the history of sexual assault response in Canada before standardization existed, examine what the revised kit contains and why those choices were made, and explore the ongoing questions practitioners, Survivors, and advocates continue to raise. Does the kit serve Survivors as well as it serves the legal system? What role do forensic nurses play when a standardized tool exists? And how do we keep evolving the kit as science, practice, and survivor-centered care continue to develop?

A must-listen for forensic nurses, front-line health workers, legal practitioners, policymakers, and anyone invested in the systems that shape what justice looks like for Survivors.

If you have been recently hurt or assaulted, stalked, or harassed, please seek medical care at your closest emergency department, connect with support services, or contact your local police. This is Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline -- a podcast by the Canadian Forensic Nurses Association.

Beyond the Box: The history of Canada’s RCMP Sexual Assault Evidence Kit (Episode 6)

Content warning: This episode discusses sexual violence, evidence collection, and the systemic barriers survivors face in accessing forensic care.

Access to forensic care after sexual violence should not depend on your postal code. Yet for survivors in rural and remote communities across Canada, geography remains one of the most significant barriers to justice and healing. When the nearest forensic nurse is hours away, critical evidence is lost and Survivors are left without the support they deserve.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, we sit down with Kathleen Nicholson, Registered Nurse, Forensic Nurse Examiner, and Regional Educator for Interior Health's Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Program. Kathleen brings frontline and systems-level experience to a conversation about TeleSAFE -- a virtual forensic nursing model designed to bring expert support directly to local health teams, wherever they are.

Together, we examine how remote guidance from a trained forensic nurse examiner can help frontline staff preserve evidence and deliver trauma-informed care in communities that have long been underserved. We also sit with the harder questions: How does remote support integrate into existing workflows? What are the evidentiary implications of evidence collected without a forensic nurse physically present? And what do Survivors lose -- or gain -- when care is delivered through a screen?

A must-listen for forensic nurses, rural and remote health workers, policy makers, legal practitioners, survivor advocates, and anyone working to close the gap between where Survivors are and where care exists.

Beyond the Distance: When Technology Meets Compassion (Episode 5)

Content warning: This episode discusses criminal harassment (stalking), intimate partner violence, and digital surveillance.

Criminal harassment—commonly known as stalking—is one of the most pervasive yet underreported crimes in Canada. It often escalates over time, leaving survivors living in fear while facing significant barriers to legal protection. From persistent following to digital monitoring, stalking behaviours can be difficult to prove and even harder to stop before they turn dangerous.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada's Forensic Frontline, we sit down with a retired Canadian police officer who spent years investigating criminal harassment cases. Together, we unpack the realities behind the badge: how these cases are built from patterns of behaviour, why stalking so often goes unreported, and what survivors face when the law doesn't quite fit the crime.

Through real-world investigative experience, our guest breaks down the clinical and legal realities of stalking: from digital trails and GPS tracking to silent following and unwanted contact; from intimate partner cases to stranger obsession. The conversation explores red flags law enforcement must recognize, evidentiary challenges that complicate prosecution, the psychological toll on survivors, and how inadequate documentation can undermine justice and safety.

A must-listen for frontline workers, investigators, survivors, advocates, legal practitioners, and anyone committed to understanding and preventing criminal harassment.

Beyond the Badge — Investigating Stalking in Canada - Episode 4 

Content warning: This episode discusses intimate partner violence and non-fatal strangulation.

Non-fatal strangulation is common in intimate partner violence—and one of the most dangerous, misunderstood, and minimized forms of assault in Canada. Survivors often present with no visible injuries, yet face serious and sometimes delayed risks, including vascular injury, traumatic brain injury, and stroke.

In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada’s Forensic Frontline, Forensic Nurse Practitioner Hannah Varto sits down with Dr. Michael Ellis, a neurologist specializing in cerebrovascular injury and traumatic brain injury in the context of IPV. Together, they go beyond guidelines to examine what actually happens in emergency departments, clinics, and courts—and why systems continue to miss the warning signs.

Through a real-world patient journey, Dr. Ellis breaks down the clinical realities of non-fatal strangulation: subtle symptoms, assessment challenges, missed diagnoses, and the devastating consequences when injuries are dismissed. The conversation explores red flags clinicians must not ignore, imaging and treatment decisions, long-term neurological outcomes, and how inadequate documentation undermines justice in court.

A must-listen for clinicians, forensic professionals, advocates, legal practitioners, and anyone committed to survivor safety and accountability.

Beyond the Guidelines: Ignoring Non-Fatal Strangulation by Canada’s Frontline - Episode 3

In this episode, forensic nurse practitioner Hannah Varto speaks with Christie Paschakis, founder of SOAR Initiative Canada and Ontario Says NO MORE, to examine the key nuances and implications emerging from the Hockey Canada trial.

Beyond the Verdict: The Hockey Canada Trial - Episode 2


Content Warning: Explicit descriptions of violence against women. In this episode of Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada’s Forensic Frontline, we speak with Karen Mason of Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (SOAR) for a grounded and thoughtful discussion about femicide in Canada, its patterns, its preventable nature, and the systemic factors that allow gender-based violence to continue.

Discussing Femicide in Canada with Karen Mason - Episode 1

Welcome to Beyond the Rape Kit, the official podcast of the Canadian Forensic Nurses Association (CFNA). In this introductory episode, host Hannah Varto sets the stage for a series exploring the realities of forensic nursing in Canada—where healthcare, law, and trauma-informed care meet.

Beyond the Rape Kit: Canada’s Forensic Frontline – Intro Episode

Canadian Forensic Nurses Association (@cfnawebmaster_) · Zencastr

Canadian Forensic Nurses Association (@cfnawebmaster_)

Forensic nursing is more than just evidence collection. It includes trauma-informed, compassionate care, clinical documentation, and collaboration with law enforcement and legal professionals. Through this podcast, the Canadian Forensic Nurses Association aims to provide education, share expertise, and promote best practices across the country.