Understanding a Public Health Approach to Serious Violence

Serious violence continues to impact individuals, families, and communities across the UK. Traditional enforcement-led models alone have not been sufficient in reducing harm or addressing root causes. Increasingly, the public health approach has gained traction as a strategic framework for understanding and responding to serious violence in more holistic, preventative ways.

This course explores how applying a public health lens can help professionals and organisations develop long-term, sustainable strategies to reduce violence by tackling its underlying causes, including poverty, trauma, exclusion, and inequality.

Participants will gain an understanding of:

• The principles of a public health approach to violence prevention
• How violence spreads within communities and the role of early intervention
• The importance of multi-agency collaboration, data-sharing, and community engagement
• Practical case studies from local areas applying public health frameworks
• The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), social disadvantage and patterns of serious violence

Through a mix of expert insight, frontline perspectives, and interactive discussion, attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to implement preventative, person-centred approaches in their own services.

Ideal for:

• Violence reduction unit teams and safeguarding professionals
• Youth justice and probation practitioners
• Social workers and early help teams
• Public health professionals and policy advisors
• Police, community safety and neighbourhood teams
• Education, housing, and community development workers

Key Takeaways:

• What defines a public health model of violence prevention
• How trauma, inequality and marginalisation drive serious violence
• Examples of successful, place-based public health interventions
• The power of data, partnerships and community voice in designing effective responses
• Tools to begin embedding this approach into local strategy and frontline practice

Additional Benefits:

• Strengthen multi-agency working and shared responsibility for harm reduction
• Build confidence in adopting preventative frameworks beyond enforcement
• Gain insight into scalable models that address serious violence as a societal issue, not just a criminal one

This course is essential for professionals and leaders committed to shifting from reactive models to evidence-informed, holistic approaches that tackle serious violence at its roots.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher Learning & Development Hub