Supporting young Londoners by building trusting and respectful relationships
Putting relationships at the heart of our work
With more than 19,000 18-24-year-old care-experienced young people in London, it is critical that we work together across policy and practitioner boundaries to create the conditions for young people – and the people who support them - to thrive.
So we were hugely grateful to University of London for hosting a roundtable last week on Care Experienced Young People and Relational Practice as part of the London Research and Policy Partnership, London Anchor Institutions’ Network and the Care Leavers Compact.
It was a brilliant morning, chaired by Lib Peck, Director of London’s Violence Reduction Unit, bringing together voices from the NHS, universities, local authorities, the youth and voluntary sector and housing and residential care. The mix of perspectives really showed how much energy there is across London for working more relationally - building trusting and respectful relationships as the foundation for positive change. Not only for care–experienced young people but also as part of partnerships.
What matters most for young people?
We asked some big questions about what matters most for young people. Which outcomes are really worth focusing on?
These aren’t always the easiest to measure, but they are the ones that shape lives: building confidence, strengthening self-esteem, and helping young people learn how to express themselves. These outcomes may seem less tangible than exam results or employment statistics, but they are often the very foundations of resilience, belonging and future success. Special mention to Jade Barnett from Power to Prevail who got us thinking about what these ’hard’ and ‘core’ outcomes really are.
How can we adopt a relational approach?
We also thought about how we share responsibility across our own organisations and with each other. What can health, housing, education and employment all learn and share to make our practice more relational? And we recognised the value of creative approaches that help young people feel confident and like they truly belong in a privileged world.
One idea that really resonated was the relational universe which visualises who is in our lives – family, friends, organisations and wider networks - and how they are connected. Ideally, that system should sustain and enrich us. But it can come under strain. We each need to understand our role within that universe, how we relate to one another and how we can better support each other. This is especially true at times of strain, when remembering our shared humanity is key.
What further resources can we draw on?
Luke Billingham and Colin Michel’s piece on Creating Conducive Conditions for Resonance and Collaboration explores what helps young people thrive and introduces the idea of not relying on “youth whisperers”.
Janet Grauberg’s resources from the Peer Learning Programme on Relational Practice offer practical ways to build relational practice into our systems and learning across the UK.
Jade Barnett’s work through Power to Prevail provides food for thought on resilience and empowerment.
And where do we go from here?
We agreed that the next step is making sure relationship-building sits at the heart of the Care Leavers Compact. More broadly, we need to keep this spirit of learning and collaboration alive, always with a young person’s world at the centre.
We left feeling encouraged, connected and reminded of why anchor institution networks matter: organisations working side by side to model the kind of London we all want to help create - a London built on trust, care and stronger relationships.