In February 2026 we held our Youth Social Prescribing Symposium at London’s Southbank Centre, bringing together 40 attendees in the room and more than 150 people online to discuss latest research, policy and practice in the field. This was the culmination of our last year of work with the Social Prescribing Youth Network (SPYN) and as part of the event we launched two new free resources together with partners the National Academy for Social Prescribing and the Southbank Centre. On this page you can find a round up of what was covered as well as a recording of presentations.
New resources launched: best practice for youth social prescribing
We share a roundup of our recent Youth Social Prescribing Symposium, hosted with the Southbank Centre and the National Academy for Social Prescribing.
16 February 2026
Event recap
Children and young people’s mental and physical health needs are rising sharply, while access to specialist services remains constrained. Social prescribing is relationship-based, youth-led support that connects children and young people to meaningful community help, with safeguarding and clinical oversight integrated into pathways.
The promising, non-medical approach works by addressing the social and practical factors that shape health and wellbeing (like housing, family stress, school experience, money, safety, friendships and belonging). This includes connecting young people to activities such as volunteering, social groups, nature-based and outdoor activities, arts and sports as well as advice, education and training. However, current social prescribing provision is fragmented, under-resourced and unevenly implemented across the UK.
“Having worked in this field for a few years now, both at a SPYN context, but also as a researcher, one thing that’s come up time and time again when talking to people on the ground is that there’s really good practice going on. However, this often isn’t captured anywhere, and also, it’s very, very patchy. And we hear frequently about there needing to be guidelines and training, because otherwise people are just working in these silos on their own”.
— Dr Daniel Hayes, Director of the Social Prescribing Youth Network, UCL
During the Symposium we brought together a range of speakers to discuss what good youth social prescribing looks like and how we can scale this. Our agenda included:
- Introduction — Dawn Foster and Liza Jarvis, We Do Wellbeing
- Flash talk 1: Policy — Dr Rachel Quinn, Executive Director of Strategy and Partnerships, National Academy for Social Prescribing
- Flash talk 2: Practice — Lou Sticpewich, Link Worker, UCL
- Flash talk 3: Research — Prof Daisy Fancourt, Director of the National Centre for Social Prescribing Data & Analysis and Professor of Psychobiology and Epidemiology, UCL
- Launch of new resources — Dr Daniel Hayes, Director of the Social Prescribing Youth Network, Deputy Director of the National Centre for Social Prescribing Data & Analysis and Principal Research Fellow, UCL
- Reflections our Youth Advisory Group — XazQ Sandhu, SPYN Youth Advisory Group representative
- What next? Discussion, questions and an invitation to collaborate — Dr Marie Polley MBE, Marie Polley Consultancy Ltd
You can watch back our recording of the event below.
As part of the event, we launched two new freely available resources. These aim to provide practical recommendations and guidance for everyone involved in the design, delivery, commissioning, evaluation and improvement of child and youth social prescribing.
1. Best Practice Guidelines: Child & Youth Social Prescribing
Between June and November 2025, SPYN convened five national roundtables with: young people; link workers; Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) organisations; researchers; and commissioners and policymakers to identify what constitutes best practice in child and youth social prescribing. These guidelines bring that learning together to support the development of high-quality, sustainable and equitable youth social prescribing services across the country. Access the guidelines.
Key findings:
- Leadership: clearer national and local leadership is needed to reduce postcode variation and embed across policy.
- Youth voice: involvement in service design and evaluation is essential but inconsistent.
- Funding: short-term funding (especially for VCFSE organisations) limits sustainability.
- Workforce: link workers need manageable caseloads, supervision, training and protected time.
- Digital: tools can improve access but must be equitable, safe and proportionate.
- Evidence: evaluation must capture quality of encounters, implementation and longer-term impact.
- Collaboration: cross-sector data and learning loops are needed to inform policy and investment.
“The guidelines highlight the need for stronger leadership, clearer planning and commissioning, and consistent involvement of children and young people in service design and evaluation. A well supported workforce is essential. Link workers need appropriate training, manageable caseloads, supervision and protected time for relationship building and community asset mapping.
Why does this matter? When youth social prescribing is delivered well, it can improve wellbeing, reduce pressure on clinical services, and create more equitable support for children and young people.”
— Zainab Tariq, SPYN Youth Advisory Group member
2. Online training: Social Prescribing for Children and Young People
Check out the new free 45 minute training course available to everyone interested in learning how children and young people’s wellbeing can be enhanced through social prescribing. The course is available online to complete in your own time via the National Academy for Social Prescribing’s Knowledge Gateway.
The course curriculum covers the following topics and more:
- Introduction to children and young people’s social prescribing (including what is social prescribing, wider determinants of health, access and inclusion, lifelong impact)
- Models and approaches (including differences with the adult model, types of prevention and support, activities, early years and family approaches, examples of practice)
- Strategies for implementing social prescribing (including funding, partnership working, advocacy and youth voice)
- Impact and guidance (including safety and boundaries, trauma informed approaches, data and outcomes)
Complete the course and join us in unlocking the potential of social prescribing to create a healthier future for the next generation.
Get involved
A big thank you to everyone who contributed to this event and work, including our partners National Academy for Social Prescribing, Southbank Centre, Prudence Trust and UCL Innovation & Enterprise, SPYN Advisory Board, Youth Advisory Group, roundtable participants, all our fantastic speakers, plus attendees in the room and online!
If you aren’t already a member, you can join the Social Prescribing Youth Network to become part of the movement and shape what happens next. SPYN is a free network for anyone interested in social prescribing for children and young people. Find out more and register to receive the latest child and youth social prescribing news, including research, resources, funding, training and events.
Plus save the date — Social Prescribing Day is taking place on Thursday 26th March 2026. This is an annual celebration of the people, organisations and communities who make social prescribing happen. There will be events taking place locally and internationally and you can find Professor Daisy Fancourt speaking at Social Prescribing USA’s webinar “The Art of Prescribing: Advancing Arts-Based Pathways to Health“.