Keeping Safe – Keep Listening, Keep Learning

A key part of Lambeth Together is the Children and Young People Alliance. One of the programmes here is Lambeth Made, aimed at making Lambeth one of the best places to grow up, which has recently been tackling the issue of serious youth violence.

We are working hard with our local community around the issue of serious youth violence. We shared a ‘Keeping Safe’ survey, which invited young people to share their views. 560 ten to twenty-five-year-olds from all backgrounds offered their views of the protective and risk factors related to housing, education, street safety, family, friends and health.

They also suggested solutions. These results will influence and help us to plan services for the future.

This builds on events which took place over the summer and autumn. Lambeth Made talked directly to young people at the ‘Youth JAM in the Park’ at Myatts Fields Park in July. Click here to hear some of their views. Young people also took part in a ‘Hackathon’ event in October, where they co-designed strategies aimed at reaching out to and engaging a wider range of their peers.

There have been targeted ‘listening campaigns’ where different parts of Lambeth society have been asked to explain what they feel would make Lambeth a better place to live in. The Council is commissioning a grassroots partnership to create a co-production process that will engage wider communities.

Finally, staff across health and care organisations have taken part in three dynamic events where they heard from not just experts, leaders and politicians but also community members directly affected by the violence. One aim of the sessions was to recruit ‘Knowledge Champions’, staff representatives from every area of every service. They will be involved in shaping responses to the issue of youth violence and create a two-way ideas bridge between the frontline and the public health model.

Watch the film of the event to find out more about the Council’s approach to Serious Youth Violence and hear from those most affected.