Safeguarding with young people who are questioning, leaving, or changing faith
A one-day conference | Wednesday 21 October 2026 | Birmingham
Faith and non-faith beliefs matter to many young people, offering them meaning, belonging, and community.
But, when young people question, leave, change, explore, find, or deepen faith, they can face harm from mental distress, shunning, coercive control, conversion practices, homelessness and more. Young people of faith and non-faith beliefs can also be harmed by stereotyping, bias, racism, discrimination, and marginalisation.
The aims of our conference programme are to share and increase our collective knowledge about this topic, to highlight work that creates conducive conditions to nurture youth awareness and agency, and to develop anti-racist, anti-oppressive approaches to support and safeguarding with young people who are questioning, leaving or changing faith.
Programme
09:15
Registration, refreshments, and conversation
10:00
Welcome
Sarah Robbins
Chair, Birmingham Humanists.
10:05
Opening talks
Faith, non-faith, and transitions in young lives : social work, youth work and education perspectives
Dr Naomi Thompson
Reader in Youth and Community Work, Goldsmiths, University of London
Dr Shereen Shaw
Senior Lecturer Liverpool John Moores University & Senior Fellow Higher Education Academy
10:40
Guidelines for Dialogue
Introduction to The Feast Guidelines for Dialogue with a tabletop exercise
Canon Dr Andrew Smith
Director of Interfaith Relations at Church of England Birmingham
11:00
Reflection break and refreshments
11:10
First conversation: safeguarding in faith transitions
Insights on recognising harm, and developing safeguarding responses with young people questioning, leaving, or changing faith
Chair
Dr Rachael Owens
Associate Professor, Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding, University of Durham
Dr Lucy Potter
ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of York
Yehudis Fletcher
PhD researcher at Durham University and author of Chutzpah
Kathleen Hallisey
Solicitor at Scott-Moncrieff & Associates
12:10
Tabletop conversation and comfort break
12:20
Second conversation: lived experience of faith transitions
Insights from experience: understanding lived and learned experience of faith transitions.
Chair
Jordan Alexander
CEO and founder of Prism Training
Selina Wallis
Public Involvement Manager NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast University of Liverpool
With additional contributors who have lived experience of this topic.
13:10
Lunch
13:50
Third conversation: young people from Birmingham
A group of young people from Birmingham have helped shape this conference, and join the conversation to share their point of view. Their discussions have highlighted the themes of trust, confidentiality, boundaries, family and community pressures, practical safety, and the importance of listening without expecting of forcing a young person to explain or defend their choices.
14:10
Fourth conversation: good practice in faith transitions
Insights from practice: support with young people and families
Chair
Rachael Reign
Founder & CEO of Surviving Universal UK
Donna Craine
Support and Advocacy Services Manager, Faith to Faithless, Humanists UK
Matt Mahmood-Ogston
CEO and Founder of Naz and Matt Foundation
15:00
Afternoon break and refreshments
15:10
Next steps conversation, with our chairs, and young people from Birmingham
Chair
Dr Luke Billingham
Youth worker, Hackney Quest and Research Associate, OU
15:55
Closing and thanks
Colin Michel
Co-Director, Resonant Collaboration, Postgraduate researcher, University of Sussex
Standard ticket: £65.
Pay what you can: no questions asked.
Pay it forward: £130 pays for one standard ticket for a volunteer youth worker.
The conference will include some potentially sensitive or distressing material. Content information and access to a quiet space will be available, with named safeguarding leads on hand throughout.