Photograph of 3 children reading a book together.

Voluntary Sector Children & Youth Forum

From 1 April 2025, the contract to deliver the Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum passed from Volunteer Centre Tower Hamlets to Tower Hamlets CVS. Alex Nelson, who managed this contract on behalf of the Volunteer Centre since 2009, has been a tireless advocate for children and young people in Tower Hamlets for the past 16 years, and we thank her for her hard work and for the impact she has made. 

The Voluntary Sector Children & Youth Forum (VSCYF) is a space for voluntary and community groups who provide services to children and young people to come together, talk and find out more about issues, opportunities and funding. Council representatives also attend with the aim of collaborative working and updating about developments. Meetings are held about every three months as necessary. You can sign up to take part in the VSCYF here.

The VSCYF sends out a monthly bulletin. To join the mailing list, click here. 

Resources

Notes from previous meetings

24 March 2026

16 December 2025

23 September 2025

10 June 2025

Upcoming events:

Shadow of an adult reaching out to a child on green grass. UK Coaching Safeguarding workshop, Tuesday 2 June, 11:00am to 2:00pm, Tuesday 2 June / 11:00am to 2:00pm Brady Arts & Community Centre 192-196, Hanbury St, E1 5HU.
UK Coaching Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop
Tuesday 2 June / 11.00am to 2.00pm / Brady Arts & Community Centre / 192-196 Hanbury St, E1 5HU
Creating safe and positive environments for children in sport starts with informed and confident coaches. Join the UK Coaching Safeguarding and Protecting Children workshop, delivered by Kamilla Ovrevik from London Sport in partnership with UK Coaching. This interactive session is designed for coaches, club leaders, welfare officers, and anyone working with children in sport or physical activity settings, helping participants recognise safeguarding concerns, reflect on real-life scenarios, and learn effective reporting procedures. Attendees will also receive 2 CIMSPA CPD points, valid for 12 months, with lunch included.
For more information, email sheba.choudhury@thcvs.org.uk.
 
Three children sit on a couch, focused on tablets. Purple speech bubble with yellow and white text that reads: Hidden Voices in Research - Children, young people and social media Thursday 11 June / 10.00am to 2.00pm / Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Campus, Colette Bowe Room, E1 4NS. THCVS logo in the top right corner. Click here to find out more.

Hidden Voices in Research – Children, young people and social media

Thursday 11 June / 10.00am to 2.00pm / Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Campus, Colette Bowe Room, E1 4NS.

Hidden Voices in Research brings together academic researchers, council staff and voluntary sector partners to share evidence, lived experience and frontline insights. This event will focus on how children and young people engage with social media. 

For more information, email alison.robert@thcvs.org.uk.

Click here to find out more and register.

 

Two children joyfully play with colourful building blocks, wearing rainbow shirts. Voluntary Sector Children & Youth Forum. Tuesday 30 June, Brady Arts and Community Centre, 192-196 Hanbury Street, E1 5HU. THCVS logo in the top left corner. Click here to find out more.

Voluntary Sector Children and Youth Forum

Tuesday 30 June / 11:30am to 1:00pm Brady Arts & Community Centre, 192-196, Hanbury St, E1 5HU.

Join the Voluntary Sector Children & Youth Forum (VSCYF) for an interactive session on creating more inclusive, welcoming and accessible play and youth spaces for children and young people across Tower Hamlets. Through presentations, discussions and networking, the session will explore the importance of play for wellbeing, barriers to participation, gender-inclusive design, safety and belonging, and practical ways organisations can improve inclusion and accessibility. The event welcomes professionals working across youth services, SEND communities, sports, play and community wellbeing to share learning, build partnerships and help shape more inclusive spaces across the borough.

For more information, email sheba.choudhury@thcvs.org.uk.

Click here to find out more and register.