The Safer Communities Conference 2026 brought together practitioners, partners and policymakers from across Wales on Thursday 12 March 2026, for a full‑day event. Held in Cardiff, the event focused on prevention, early intervention and the future of community safety in Wales.
The day opened with a message from Cllr Jason McLellan, co-Chair of the Safer Communities Board, where he touched on the importance of partnership working and championing a prevention approach. He reflected on how vital the individuals working in community safety in Wales are to keeping partnerships alive and ensuring that everyone can come together to share best practices.
Mark Brace, Head of the Safer Communities Network, set out the Network’s strategic focus and reinforced the importance of collaboration across organisations in addressing complex community safety challenges. The Network’s overarching theme of prevention reinforces the shared ambition to move from reactive responses towards proactive, preventative community safety approaches across Wales.
The conference programme included a range of breakout sessions and panel discussions. There were ample opportunities for attendees to network, exchange ideas and make new connections, and early feedback shows that delegates valued the day. It also offered an opportunity for the three partner groups—All-Wales ASB Practitioners, WaCSO and WDAIIN—to meet, look at case studies and share best practices. These sessions encouraged open discussion, problem solving and the sharing of practical approaches from across Wales.
The conference was closed by the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, Jane Hutt MS, who emphasised the critical role of partnership working in keeping communities safe and thanked practitioners for their commitment and frontline work. Police and Crime Commissioner Jane Mudd, co‑Chair of the Safer Communities Board, also addressed delegates, reflecting on the outgoing Cabinet Secretary’s long‑standing support for community safety and the value of sustained leadership at a national level.
Spotlight on prevention and lived experience
A key theme running throughout the day was the impact of prevention, and the consequences when it is absent. The spotlight on three 2025 Safer Communities Award winners showcased initiatives, each highlighting the importance of early intervention and long‑term support. One particularly powerful account shared the experience of a young person who had been trafficked for modern slavery and exploited by an organised crime group yet went on to receive a custodial sentence despite being a victim of crime. This example underlined the need for trauma‑informed, preventative approaches within community safety systems.
The conference also provided a platform for frontline practitioners and those with lived experience to speak directly about the realities behind policy discussions, reinforcing the need to centre practitioner insight and community voice in strategy and delivery.
One of the most sobering sessions of the day focused on knives in schools, with frontline practitioners from Media Academy Cymru sharing their experiences of working with young people. Delegates heard that children as young as five have been found carrying weapons in school settings, highlighting the urgent need for early education, prevention and support well before behaviours escalate.
Sustainable funding and the future
A further theme emerging across multiple sessions was the challenge of sustainable funding. Speakers highlighted the risks of short‑term funding models, including examples where highly oversubscribed early‑intervention projects ended abruptly when funding ceased, leaving gaps in local provision and unmet need.
The conference showcased some of the outstanding work taking place across Wales and the dedication shown by practitioners to make the lives of communities in Wales better. The theme of prevention will carry through the work of the Network for the coming year and beyond.
