Reducing young people's exposure to violence
In the first round of LPAC research, which explored ‘Understanding Young People’s Experiences of Violence in Lambeth,’ the team found that young people who engaged with youth facilities or services had significantly better access to emotional support, new opportunities, mentorship, and safe spaces to socialise in.
These insights have inspired the team to delve deeper into how safe spaces and trusted adults can serve as vital protective factors, reducing young people’s exposure to violence in Lambeth.
Starting in May 2024, the Lambeth Peer Action Collective (LPAC) carried out this research in partnership with local youth organisations (High Trees Community Development Trust, Juvenis, Milk Honey Bees, Spiral Skills, IRMO, MLCE, St Matthews Project) and supported by the VISION (Violence, Health, and Society) Consortium.
In October 2025, the LPAC team launched their research report ‘Built on Trust’.
Key findings
- The violence affecting young people takes many forms and is often complex in nature.
- Youth organisations provide unique spaces where young people can feel safe and build belonging.
- When youth practitioners can build trust with young people, they are able to provide them with practical and emotional support to navigate violence.
- Youth organisations offer young people alternative pathways and visions for their future.
The research process
Phase 1 – Setting the research direction
The LPAC team began by reviewing their previous research, exploring what young people had reported about feeling protected from violence in certain spaces or when they had a trusted adult to turn to. Building on these findings, LPAC team members reflected on their own experiences in different spaces and interactions with different adults. This helped shape their research direction.
The team then completed a literature review, evaluating current research into safe spaces and trusted adults and identifying gaps in local evidence. This led them to pinpoint youth organisations – and the spaces and adults associated with them – as the focus of this research inquiry.
Phase 2 – In-depth interviews
During the next phase, the LPAC team conducted 46 in-depth interviews with young people from across the six partner organisations.
The team developed and refined an interview guide, exploring young people’s experiences at youth organisations, and how these environments and the adults in them reduced their exposure to violence.
Phase 3 – Practitioner interviews
Once the team started to analyse the data, it became apparent that other perspectives were needed to enrich their findings – the perspectives of youth practitioners, which young interviewees alone could not fully capture.
On behalf of the LPAC team, an academic from the Violence, Health, and Society (VISION) consortium completed six interviews with youth practitioners at partner organisations.
Phase 4 – Creating a manifesto for change
In the final phase of this research, the LPAC team brought together young people and youth practitioners to create a vision for change and explore potential solutions to the issues raised in the research. LPAC are now in the process of developing youth-led action campaigns.
