Youth Matters
Thursday 12 November 2026
Published in December 2025, Youth Matters was the first national strategy for young people in England for 15 years. It sets out three key aims – to put local authorities at the heart of a place-based approach to youth services; create the conditions for councils, charities and government to collaborate more effectively; and empower young people to be active participants in the services that support them.
Nearly one year on from the launch of the national strategy, Children & Young People Now’s Youth Matters conference is bringing together leading practitioners, policymakers and researchers to share experiences and approaches to developing youth support as the reforms are being implemented.
Delegates will hear from several individuals and organisations at the heart of developing and delivering the strategy and learn about how new funding is being used to improve the capacity of local authority youth services and invest in youth work infrastructure and the workforce.
There will also be a deep dive into Young Futures Hubs, looking at how one of the key strategy reforms is being tested and adapted in an “early adopter” area and what others can learn from the experience.
Alongside these keynote presentations, there will be six workshop sessions exploring the role youth work can play in boosting young people’s employment outcomes, implementing the Youth Guarantee and developing inclusive education programmes.
The conference is designed for:
• Qualified youth and community workers
• Youth services managers and practitioners
• Early help practitioners and managers
• Assistant directors, and directors of children’s services
• Local authority commissioners of young people’s services
• Heads of young people’s service
• Programme managers
• Quality assurance managers
• Senior leaders in not-for-profit youth organisations
• Social housing organisations
• Youth support workers
• Skilled youth work volunteers
• Youth justice practitioners
• Provider of youth advice and guidance
• Researchers and academics
• Youth services managers and practitioners
• Early help practitioners and managers
• Assistant directors, and directors of children’s services
• Local authority commissioners of young people’s services
• Heads of young people’s service
• Programme managers
• Quality assurance managers
• Senior leaders in not-for-profit youth organisations
• Social housing organisations
• Youth support workers
• Skilled youth work volunteers
• Youth justice practitioners
• Provider of youth advice and guidance
• Researchers and academics
• Policy leads and policy officers