Progress through prevention:
 Building on what works in tackling violence to keep young people safe
23rd June 2026

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The Mayor of London set up London’s Violence Reduction Unit (VRU), the first in England and Wales, in 2019. It has pioneered a public health approach to tackling violence, rooted in prevention and early intervention.

Central to this has been partnership with young people, the voluntary sector, health, education, local authorities and the police. In seven years, it has delivered interventions and diversionary activities for more than half a million young people across the capital. Homicides of young people were three times higher when the VRU was set up than they are today, and hospital admissions of under-25s for knife assault have almost halved in those seven years.

The Progress through Prevention conference on 23rd June, organised by Children & Young People Now in partnership with the London’s VRU, is aimed at professionals across the UK. It will demonstrate how the capital is delivering violence prevention and give practical tips and advice on what approaches work best in supporting young people.

There will be contributions from senior leaders in violence prevention, input from young people and practitioners with lived experience, and discussion on how to overcome some of the practical challenges of delivering services in this space.

Whether you work in local authorities, health, education, voluntary and community organisations, commissioning or policy, Progress through prevention is an essential opportunity to learn about what approaches work best, share experiences with peers from across the system, and get involved in discussion and debate about emerging threats and how to respond to them.

The conference is designed for:
• Anyone working with young people affected by or at risk of violence
• Civil servants and policy advisers
• Local, regional and national policymakers
• Senior leaders in local authority children’s services and community safety
• Youth workers
• Youth Offending teams
• Mentors and trusted adults
• School leaders and inclusion specialists
• Safeguarding leads
• Local authority commissioners
• Police officers