Community-based support plays a vital role in the lives of young women and girls, particularly given the disproportionate impact of gender‑based harm on their safety and future opportunities. From the outset of the Young Futures project, it was clear that these new approaches could provide truly preventative, positive spaces within communities—places where agencies work together, where safeguarding is strengthened, and where young people at risk can be identified earlier in their journeys.
However, this can only be achieved when the experiences of young women and girls are embedded from the very beginning. The programme must be built on gender‑, age‑ and trauma‑informed foundations across all partners involved.
Our framework—developed in partnership with statutory and non‑statutory agencies, as well as the London Violence Reduction Unit—outlines how this can be realised in practice.
The Government’s Young Futures Programme includes two main delivery strands:
- Young Futures Panels (led by the Home Office):
Multi‑agency panels convened by local authorities in Violence Reduction Unit areas. These panels identify young people at risk of violence, criminalisation or other harms and develop early, proactive action plans, including referrals into Young Futures Hubs. - Young Futures Hubs (led by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport):
Multi‑agency community spaces where young people can connect with youth workers, access support, and receive coordinated services.
We look forward to continuing this work with our partners to help ensure that every young person—especially young women and girls—has access to safe, supportive environments where they can thrive.
Media enquiries
For more information, please contact Tracie Couper, Press Officer at Advance, at tracie.c@advancecharity.org.uk or on 0743 2700 287.
Notes
- Advance’s specialist advocates work in partnership with 11 local and national women’s service providers, alongside statutory services to provide services within women’s communities across the 6 regions of Hampshire, Kent, Thames Valley, Essex, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire.
- Through our woman-centred approach, we aim to prevent the cycle of re-offending, tackling issues such as lack of consistent housing and homelessness, domestic abuse and sexual violence, mental health, emotional well-being, parenting and family relationships, education training and employment, finance, benefits, and debt.
About Advance
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- Advance’s vision is a world in which women and children lead safe, just and equal lives so that they can flourish and actively contribute to society. The charity works with women who experience domestic abuse to be safe and take control of their lives, and women who have committed crime or are at risk of offending to break the cycle.
- As well as providing direct support, Advance works with statutory services, government agencies and other women’s charities to ensure a holistic approach to the issues these women face.
- Women must be referred to Advance, via statutory services or the charity’s self-referral scheme. For more information about who Advance is able to support, please visit Get help
- For facts and statistics about domestic abuse and women in the criminal justice system, as well as Advance’s work, please visit Our impact
