Youth PACT
Welcome to our Youth PACT page!
On this page you will find information all about Youth PACT and the importance of listening to children and young people in safeguarding work.
You can find also find all the information on this page on our useful information sheet HERE.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to find useful resources.
If you are part of a wider organisation, you are welcome to use this content to support your own work. We also have two training films that are available to partners to use. To get in touch regarding the films or the content, please contact us at vru@hampshire.police.uk.
What is a Youth PACT?
PACT stands for Police and Community Together. So, Youth PACT is where young people come together to discuss things that matter to them in their community with the Police and other relevant organisations. These meetings will take place in areas children feel safe to speak freely including, schools, youth groups and community spaces.
At these meetings, young people will bring their issues and ideas, talk about them openly with police and practitioners, and then agree a plan of action going forward. The police and other practitioners will usually give an update on what they have been doing in the local area.
These meetings will occur several times, and at each meeting the police and practitioners are expected to update the group on what they have been doing as a result of previous discussions and enacting the plan of action.
You can find out how to set up a Youth PACT hereWhy do Youth PACTs matter?
- Give young people a meaningful voice and allow them to co-create solutions alongside professionals.
- Offer a sense of empowerment to young people to make a difference in their communities.
- Youth PACTs promote multi-agency working and problem solving, meaning issues are being tackled collectively.
- Youth PACTs can be a useful relational practice for working with young people by helping professionals understand them in their own context and build trusted relationships. This can be seen in our training films.
A Child-first way of working
Youth PACTs are a child-first way of working. The child-first approach means putting children at the heart of what we do. It is evidence-based and views the child as a whole, recognising their strengths, needs and lived experiences.
Youth PACTs reflect this approach as they primarily shift the focus away from enforcement and towards support. They allow services to understand the child within their own context and see them as a whole.
It also allows for multi-agency responses that don’t rely solely on the police. Instead, bringing together all relevant services who can offer holistic support and solutions. Importantly, the process is led by young people, they identify what would make their life better, and the role of services is to act on those priorities.
You can find out more about Child First hereUseful resources
Click on the links below to access the resources:
VRP Youth PACT Best Practice Guide
Find your Local Bobby (Hampshire and Isle of Wight only)
Hear by right (participation guide)