This year’s conference provides a number of keynotes, presentations and panel discussions on topics including preventing harm among vulnerable people, the future of neighbourhood policing, women’s safety in public spaces, improving the police and policy response to modern slavery, and the use of diversion for adults with vulnerabilities, among many others.
The two-day conference is open to representatives from government, policy makers, professionals in policing, public health, social care and education, community-based organisations, third sector organisations supporting vulnerable groups, as well as researchers.
The sessions will reveal new findings from the Centre’s research projects and provide insights into the latest work in the field of vulnerability and policing. By bringing researchers, practitioners, policy makers and community groups together, the event will offer opportunities to explore how research can be applied to policy and practice.
Keynote speakers
Carlene Firmin is Professor of Social Work and Director of the Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding at Durham University. She is also co-convener of a special interest group on Social Work and Adolescents for the European Social Work Research Association; a Global Ashoka Fellow, a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, a member of the Ofsted Insights and Evidence (Social Care) External Reference Group, Scotland’s Violence Reduction Unit Strategic Board, the Youth Endowment Board Children’s Services strategic advisory group, and the Churchill Fellowship Advisory Council.
Carlene has researched young people’s experiences of community and group-based violence since 2008 and has advocated for comprehensive approaches that keep them safe in public places, schools, and peer groups. Carlene coined the term Contextual Safeguarding in 2014 to describe a vision for improving safeguarding responses to young people at risk of harm beyond their family homes. She has overseen a research programme to convert this vision into a conceptual and practice framework, in order to reform safeguarding responses and policy frameworks concerned with extra-familial harm in the UK and internationally. She has written in the national newspaper, The Guardian, since 2010, and is widely published in the area of child welfare including through four books and over 50 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and reports.
Darren McGarvey is a writer, columnist, broadcaster, social commentator and hip-hop recording artist (Loki).
Darren grew up in Pollok on the south side of Glasgow, and has lived through poverty, addiction and homelessness. Between 2004 and 2006 he wrote and presented eight programmes on social deprivation for BBC Radio Scotland. Since then he has been a regular contributor to the BBC, STV and other national media, and currently has a weekly column in The Scotsman. In 2009, he founded Volition Scotland, an organisation that was designed and run by the young people who used it. He was part of the Poverty Truth Commission that was hosted in Glasgow in the same year. McGarvey became the Violence Reduction Unit’s first ever ‘Rapper-in Residence’ in 2015 and continues to work across Scotland in some of its most challenged communities.
In November 2017 his first book “Poverty Safari” was published, and was an instant bestseller and critical hit, making the Sunday Times top ten bestseller lists and receiving plaudits from national newspapers and magazines. He won the prestigious ‘Orwell Book Prize’ in June 2018.
Darren’s latest book “The Social Distance Between Us” was published in 2022, serialised on BBC Radio 4 and led to him giving a prestigious ‘“Reith Lecture” in November 22 on the “Freedom from Want”.
He was recently inducted as Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature which deemed his books on social inequality to be of ‘outstanding literary merit’.
He has presented three series of shows for BBC Scotland, “Darren McGarvey’s Scotland”, “Darren McGarvey’s Class Wars” and “Darren McGarvey’s Addictions” and his new series, “The State We’re In” can currently be watched on BBC iPlayer.
Day 1 programme
Opening remarks – Professor Nick Plant (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Innovation, University of Leeds).
Session 1 – 11am – 12.10pm
Many disabled people encounter hostility in their everyday lives, some of which crosses the boundary towards “disablist hate crimes”. Disabled people are furthermore exposed to a significantly higher incidence of sexual and domestic violence, compared to the population average. Many have multiple experiences of being violated across their lifetime, yet they are less likely to report their experiences to the police.
This workshop presents experiences of disabled people’s encounters with the police in three different areas: Disabled women’s experiences of reporting sexual violence (Dr Andrea Hollomotz), experiences of women with multiple sclerosis of reporting domestic abuse and violence (Kharis Hutchison) and disabled people’s experiences of reporting hate crimes (Dr Leah Burch).
The speakers will present findings relating to reporting and under-reporting of sexual violence, domestic violence and hate crime. They will also highlight examples of good practice, where reasonable adjustments were put in place. The workshop will propose practical solutions for structural change as well as victim-centred solutions.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Andrea Hollomotz (University of Leeds)
- Dr Leah Burch (Liverpool Hope University)
- Kharis Hutchison (University of Leeds)
This session will critically reflect on how policing practices may contribute to framing minoritised communities as both at risk and a risk, and explore how such framings might shape racialised boundaries of belonging and citizenship.
The session will consider how vulnerability is mobilised within policing, raising questions about whether and how it functions as a site of governance through which individuals and communities are monitored, criminalised, or selectively granted access to protection and support. These dynamics unfold within a broader socio-political landscape shaped by the enduring impacts of austerity and an increasingly hostile environment toward migrants and racialised populations, which further entrench structural inequalities and institutionalise harm.
Combining theoretical insight with lived experience, the session aims to foster a critical and constructive dialogue on how policing renders individuals vulnerable and criminal, while also considering the extent to which researchers can challenge these dynamics through ethically reflexive practice.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Öznur Yardımcı (University of York)
- Dr Katy Sian (University of York)
- Natasha Carlin (University of York)
This session will bring together different perspectives from the world of research and practice on three important contributory elements to vulnerability in the context of policing:
- neurodiversity;
- trauma;
- and adverse childhood experiences.
Dr Alice Siberry from the neurodiversity awareness training provider Creased Puddle – and a recent recipient of one of the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre’s Translational Fellowships – will present on the narrative of neurodivergence in Counter Terrorism.
Emmerline Irving, Anna Comerford and Kelly Laycock from the West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme will discuss trauma-responsive workforce support/resilience within policing.
Sat Chandan, a Postgraduate Researcher within the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre, will talk about her research on violence prevention in context of adverse childhood experiences. Together the talks will provide diverse insights into key areas within the field of vulnerability and policing, with time for discussion.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Andrew Papworth (University of York)
- Emmerline Irving (West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme)
- Anna Comerford (West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme)
- Kelly Laycock (West Yorkshire Adversity, Trauma and Resilience Programme)
- Sat Kartar Chandan (University of Leeds)
- Dr Alice Siberry (Creased Puddle)
Session 2 – 12.15pm – 1.25pm (alongside first lunch sitting)
This session will include three presentations that focus on the harms associated with different illicit markets and what can be done to prevent these harms.
Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre postdoctoral researcher Dr Amy Loughery and co-investigator Dr Laura Bainbridge will talk about the development of a virtual reality training module for professionals working on cuckooing and will include showing the video version.
Christian Mootien from North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) will speak about Operation Everett, which collates intelligence on illicit vape markets with the aim of disrupting them and safeguarding vape users.
Centre Deputy Director Professor Charlie Lloyd will talk about research on drug market related violence, the links with county lines and the implications for preventive policing.
The session will be chaired by Centre postdoctoral researcher, Dr Chris Devany.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Chris Devany (University of York)
- Dr Amy Loughery (University of Leeds)
- Dr Laura Bainbridge (University of Leeds)
- Professor Charlie Lloyd (University of York)
- Christian Mootien (North East Regional Organised Crime Unit)
This session description will be added soon.
Session 2 – 1.30pm – 2.40pm (alongside second lunch sitting)
Often shaped by stereotypes, limited perspectives on gender-based violence contribute to certain forms of abuse being overlooked and inadequately addressed.
This panel presents research that challenges these limitations, offering fresh insights to enhance understanding and improve responses to a broader spectrum of gendered violence.
Dr Lis Bates will share findings from a study examining how coercive control operates within honour-based violence and abuse.
Professor Jemina Napier will present preliminary findings from research on the impact on families when hearing children are called upon to facilitate communication for their deaf mothers in domestic abuse situations.
Dr Rebecca Shaw will discuss findings from her work on developing an educational resource for secondary school students designed to challenge stereotypical views of domestic abuse and reshape the narrative.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr David Rowlands (University of Leeds)
- Dr Rebecca Shaw (University of Leeds)
- Dr Lis Bates (University of Central Lancashire)
- Professor Jemina Napier (Heriot Watt University)
Session 3 – 2.45pm – 3.55pm
Understanding vulnerability is critical for shaping effective policies and interventions, yet its measurement remains complex. This session explores how various forms of routinely collected data might be leveraged to develop more nuanced and actionable measures of vulnerability, harm, and adjacent constructs. It will provide a platform for discussing both the potential and the limitations of these different approaches, fostering dialogue on how to translate insights into practice.
Dr Katie Hoeger and Dr Andy Myhill will share “Perspectives on the use of police data to identify and measure harm in cases of domestic abuse.”
Dr Elizabeth Cook and Dr Darren Cook will discuss “Possibilities and Pitfalls of Applying Natural Language Processing to Domestic Homicide Reviews”.
Sam Relins, Professor Dan Birks and Professor Charlie Lloyd will present a paper on “Harnessing generative AI to estimate vulnerability-related police demand. Insights from a UK police force”.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor Dan Birks (University of Leeds)
- Dr Andy Myhill (College of Policing)
- Dr Katharine Hoeger (Vulnerability Knowledge and Practice Programme)
- Professor Charlie Lloyd (University of York)
- Sam Relins (University of Leeds)
- Dr Elizabeth Cook (City St George’s, University of London)
- Dr Darren Cook (City St George’s, University of London)
This panel will present the main findings of a Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre-funded pilot study Volunteers and vulnerabilities: the politics of policing partnerships.
The session will invite collaborators from the project team’s network to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of engaging volunteers and the general public in policing vulnerabilities across the UK.
Police organisations must increasingly rely on volunteers and partnerships from more formal, well-established groups such as Specials Constables to organised civil society initiatives such as maritime watch groups.
The project has found that there are important differences between organised volunteering and the generation of data from diffuse publics, raising challenges for safeguarding, consent and data management of information regarding sensitive and complex dynamics of policing vulnerability. Drawing on the project’s two empirical case studies – coastal borders and modern slavery – the panel will provide valuable insights on the current state of volunteer and public involvement in policing vulnerability and will discuss strategies for improving public-police partnerships across police organisations in the UK.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Alex Hall (University of York)
- Professor Louise Waite (University of Leeds)
- Dr Hannah Lewis (University of Sheffield)
This session will explore the varying and multidimensional nature of the relationships between policing and homelessness.
Drawing initially on emerging findings from the ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre’s Policing Housing Precarity and Homelessness (PHRASE) project, session speakers will discuss attitudes, responses and experiences of policing across three main homelessness service clusters – supported housing, temporary accommodation and housing-led services. Homelessness accommodation will be used as a prism through which to explore victim / perpetrator dynamics in police responses to vulnerability.
The session will then move focus to rough sleeping populations and, drawing on findings from the Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre’s Bradford mapping project, look at the complexities that the police face in trying to deliver a welfare response to individuals experiencing homelessness and an enforcement response in serving the requirements of the private sector and local communities.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Joanne Bretherton (University of York)
- Professor Sharon Grace (University of York)
- Dr Adam White (University of Sheffield)
It is widely accepted that human-induced climate change poses ‘severe, interconnected and irreversible risks’ to ecosystems, biodiversity, and human societies (IPCC, 2022). The increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events have had significant impacts on local communities, infrastructure, and police and emergency responders.
This panel session will present research findings from different international jurisdictions and consider ways in which police and partner agencies are preparing for, responding to, and adapting to the pervasive effects of the climate crisis. By drawing on data from diverse geographic contexts, the session aims to draw attention to the wide-ranging structural, societal, and individual climate vulnerabilities and the role of local emergency services (including the police) and community-based actors in building local resilience and contributing to climate adaptation.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Ali Malik (University of Leeds)
- Dr Jarrett Blaustein (Australian National University)
- Dr Anna Matczak (The Hague University of Applied Sciences)
- Maegan Miccelli (Australian National University)
Day 2 programme
Session 1 – 9.30am – 10.40am
In this session speakers will share their experiences of change projects that involve co-production with communities. The format will be a panel discussion where different collaborations are highlighted in an informal and open format.
Attendees will hear from the Roma Voices for Change research project, which focused on identifying and managing child exploitation in Roma communities within Bradford. Blackpool Council’s Co-Production Team will also give an overview of change work they have undertaken which placed community involvement at the heart of a social justice approach.
The session will show the importance of co-production in community-level change and also showcase this in action. There will be space for questions and discussion, with the chance to reflect, share and learn from each other’s experiences. The session will close with key recommendations for decision-makers about how to support co-production for social change.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Sarah Shorrock (University of Leeds)
This session will share emerging findings from a new study that has captured police and probation data on modern slavery cases with a view to identifying points of primary prevention and early intervention.
One case study will be presented, along with reactions to it elicited in focus groups undertaken both with people with lived experience of exploitation and professional service providers working to combat modern slavery.
The session will conclude with reflections on the challenges entailed in influencing modern slavery policy, given the British history of conceiving extreme exploitation as caused by bad actors engaged in organised immigration crime problem as opposed to a product of vulnerabilities exacerbated by economic and social policies.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor David Gadd (University of Manchester)
- Professor Rose Broad (University of Manchester)
- Maya Esslemont (After Exploitation)
- Dr Andrew Papworth (University of York)
- Dr Christine A Weirich (University of Leeds)
This session will showcase innovative research and evidence-based tools aimed at enhancing women’s safety in urban public spaces.
Dr Anna Barker and Dr Rebecca Brunk will share research-informed guidance on “Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls” and insights from a national active bystander training programme.
Dr Fran Pontin will present “Utilising Open Data to Enhance Park Safety for Women and Girls in Bradford,” providing a practical demonstration of a new open-data safety dashboard designed to support decision-making by police and other groups, to improve safety in Bradford’s parks.
Dr Caroline Miles and Professor Rose Broad will present findings from their research exploring the harassment and abuse faced by women runners, barriers to reporting incidents, and the ‘safety work’ women undertake to protect themselves.
DCI Carl Morrison will lead a discussion on integrating research-driven tools and insights into practical strategies for creating safer public spaces for women and girls.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Anna Barker (University of Leeds)
- Dr Rebecca Brunk (University of Leeds)
- Dr Fran Pontin (University of Leeds)
- Dr Caroline Miles (University of Manchester)
- Professor Rose Broad (University of Manchester)
- DCI Carl Morrison (West Yorkshire Police)
Session 2 – 11am – 12.10pm
This session will showcase the work of experts by experience in systems change on vulnerability and policing.
The Kirklees We Are Hear group will speak about their work as research influencers and a peer support, voice and advocacy group which emerged from participatory action research on stalking. They will discuss their work to improve policy and practice responses to stalking and domestic violence and abuse.
Revolving Doors Lived Experience members will discuss their work on diversion; influencing policing and support services so that key groups such as young adults, women, those experiencing race discrimination and multiple disadvantage are not drawn into the criminal justice system.
Advisors from the Centre’s Mental Health and Routine Police Work research project will reflect on influencing research on vulnerability and policing.
Speakers will share key insights on their focus areas as well as outlining their work in this area. There will be the opportunity for questions and discussion.
The session will close with speakers reflecting on the question: what messages do you have for those in the room who have power to bring about change? This is a blended session with some speakers online and some in person.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Rosie Campbell OBE (University of York)
Research evidence demonstrates that effective use of diversion programmes can reduce demand on police resources, benefit community safety and reduce reoffending. Moreover, there is evidence that vulnerable people are being drawn into criminal justice processes, some of whom might better be managed out of court. Yet there is considerable variation in use of diversion schemes and Out of Court Resolutions, particularly for adults. There is a lack of clear evidence on which programmes are most effective, for whom, and under which circumstances, making it challenging to identify and promote best practices.
This session will explore what we know about the use of Out of Court Resolutions managed by police in relation to vulnerable adults. It will present findings from ongoing research into the use of diversion and explore organisational and cultural barriers to the more systematic and effective use of diversion as a way of keeping people with vulnerabilities out of the criminal justice system.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor Adam Crawford (University of York and University of Leeds)
- Dr Natalie Higham-James (University of York)
- Dr Sarah Shorrock (University of Leeds)
- Professor Alex Stevens (University of Sheffield)
Policing and public health services are inextricably intertwined, often sharing much common ground in the support people and communities at risk of harm. There are shared underlying risk factors which increase demands yet, no one organisation is adequately skilled, equipped and resourced to address the complex issues experienced by those requiring an inter-sectoral approach.
This panel will explore the challenges and opportunities for a whole systems approach to encourage joint strategies for early intervention and prevention.
Scottish studies of policing and public health initiatives will be presented. Firstly, a collaborative approach to supporting people with dementia who go missing, and secondly, in the reduction of drug-related deaths. Both initiatives are underpinned by a public health approach to policing, bringing together collective capabilities and resources to reduce risk and prevent harm.
Speakers
- Chair: Dr Inga Heyman (Edinburgh Napier University)
- Dr Arun Sondhi (Therapeutic Solutions)
- Professor Stan Gilmour (Oxon Advisory Group)
- Professor Nadine Dougall (Edinburgh Napier University)
Session 3 – 12.15pm – 1.25pm (alongside first lunch sitting)
The UK government has pledged to halve violence against women and girls by 2030. Some local authorities are developing dedicated perpetrator strategies and more provisions for victim-survivors and people who cause harm, to achieve this aim.
In Victoria, Australia, the ‘Free from violence strategy’ has a similar focus on breaking the cycle of family violence (domestic abuse). Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) Gender Based Violence Strategy has used some of the work already ongoing in Victoria to support the development of effective and sustainable responses to violence against women and girls and domestic abuse.
This session will bring together practitioners from GMCA and Victoria to discuss the evolving narrative around interventions for domestic abuse over recent years. This will include policy developments, opportunities to adopt policy, and how to address the needs of those impacted by domestic abuse, including those accused of causing harm.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor David Gadd (University of Manchester)
- Vicky Sugars (Safer & Stronger Communities, GMCA)
- Kate Smith (Safer & Stronger Communities, GMCA)
- Phil East (Salford Foundation)
- Abbie Dickens (Greater Manchester Probation Service)
This session description will be added soon.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor Corinne May Chahal (Lancaster University)
- Katy Tomkinson (NSPCC)
- Sharon Nahal (Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire and Rescue and Crime)
- Dr Kirsty Bennett (Leeds Trinity University)
Session 3 – 1.30pm – 2.40pm (alongside second lunch sitting)
There is widespread evidence that large sections of the population hold negative views of the police, while public trust and confidence in policing has been adversely affected in recent years. While recent high-profile events have clearly damaged trust and confidence, at least as important is the everyday policing that people experience in their local communities.
Current efforts to reverse declining confidence in policing stress revitalising neighbourhood policing, the quality of which has suffered under years of austerity.
This session will consider the Government’s plans for neighbourhood policing and opportunities and challenges for building trust and confidence in policing. It will outline and explore the implications of the Centre’s research on the ‘minimum policing standard’ for the future of neighbourhood policing. It will consider how different aspects of police performance – and people’s judgements of it – have different associations with overall confidence, trust and legitimacy.
Speakers
- Professor Ben Bradford (UCL)
- Dr Christine A Weirich (University of Leeds)
- Dr David Rowlands (University of Leeds)
- Professor Adam Crawford (University of York and University of Leeds)
Operation Soteria has attracted much attention for its approach to transforming rape and serious sexual offence investigation. The approach was developed in 2021 through a police-academic collaboration. It resulted in the first National Operating Model for rape and serious sexual offences investigation, and adopted as the national standard by all police forces in England and Wales in 2023. The approach has been credited with increasing adult rape charge rates from 2-3% in 2021 to 8-9% in 2024.
Four years from its inception, this session combines officer reflections on its implementation and how that is, or is not, transformed policing with the findings from a 2025 pilot seeking to apply the Soteria model to Avon & Somerset Police’s approach to domestic abuse. The session explores the sustainability, transferability, and practical experiences of Soteria.
Speakers
- Chair: Professor Katrin Hohl OBE (City St George’s, University of London)
- ACC Dee Perkins (NPCC)
- Professor Emma Williams (Anglia Ruskin University)
- Tiggey May (Birkbeck University)
Delegate rates
- Delegate fee for Days 1 & 2 – £160
- Delegate fee for Day 1 – £99
- Delegate fee for Day 2 – £99
- Payment for attendance at networking drinks reception and hot fork buffet (Day 1 – evening) – £39
- Discounted rate for PhD students, Centre Affiliates, charity/voluntary sector organisations (Days 1 & 2) – £89
- Discounted rate for PhD students, Centre Affiliates, charity/voluntary sector organisations (Day 1) – £49
- Discounted rate for PhD students, Centre Affiliates, charity/voluntary sector organisations (Day 2) – £49
In our commitment to ensuring a high-quality experience for everyone, we have decided to introduce a fee for the conference this year. This fee is primarily aimed at contributing to the direct costs associated with the event, such as catering, equipment and venue hire.
This approach enables us to provide not only excellent and accessible venue facilities, and a range of food and beverage options, but also helps in reducing undue waste, ensuring a more sustainable event.
We do understand however, that financial considerations vary for each individual and organisation. If this fee would prevent you from attending the conference, please get in touch with us. We are keen to encourage and support smaller community organisations to attend and are committed to making the conference as accessible as possible to all, therefore we will try to work with you to find a suitable solution.
Please note we have limited funds available to support such requests.
Evening reception
An evening reception with a hot fork buffet will take place at the end of Day 1, Tuesday 9 September 2025.
The cost of the evening reception is £39 and dietary requirements will be accommodated.
Please note that spaces are limited and therefore we invite you to book your evening reception via the “Additional Items” pop up box when placing your delegate ticket order if you wish to join us.
Accommodation
Delegates can book overnight accommodation for one or two nights at pre-negotiated rates at a variety of central Leeds hotels via the link below. These rates are available until 4 weeks prior to the event. Please note delegate fees do not include accommodation.
Keep in touch
If you have any questions about the conference, please email vulnerabilitypolicing@york.ac.uk.
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