One day conference: safeguarding with young people questioning, leaving, or changing faith
Resonant Collaboration is hosting a one-day conference about working with young people, from teens to mid-twenties, who are questioning, leaving or changing faith.
What’s the issue?
When young people question, leave or change faith, they can face serious harms: family rejection, shunning, coercive control, conversion practices, homelessness and disruption to belonging. Young people of faith can face serious harms rooted in stereotypes, structural bias and racism.
National safeguarding guidance makes little mention of these harms.
Read our article about this issue.
About the conference
The conference brings together practitioners, researchers, faith leaders, specialist support organisations, and young people themselves to understand the issues, and to explore what joined-up support could look like across settings, including for young people once they reach the age of 18.
Contributors to project research and conference speakers:
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Young people from Birmingham are shaping this project: St. Basil’s Youth Advisory Board, and community researchers from Birmingham Volunteering for Health.
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Dr Naomi Thompson, Reader in Youth and Community Work, Goldsmiths University of London, sociologist of youth and inclusion, with a particular interest in faith and other intersecting identities.
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Yehudis Fletcher, PhD researcher at Durham University and author of Chutzpah, speaking from research and lived experience of leaving a high-control religious community.
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Dr Lucy Potter, ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of York, whose research looks at non-religious asylum-seeking and apostasy.
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Dr Luke Billingham, Youth worker, Hackney Quest; researcher, Open University.
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Dr Rachael Owens, Global Centre for Contextual Safeguarding, University of Durham.
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Canon Dr Andrew Smith, Director of Interfaith Relations, Church of England, Birmingham.
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Donna Craine, Support and Advocacy Services Manager, Faith to Faithless Humanists UK: survivor-led service for people leaving high-control religion.
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More speakers and contributors to be announced.
Who should come
Youth workers, social workers, safeguarding leads, faith leaders, health professionals, housing workers, commissioners, researchers, voluntary and community organisations, young people, policy makers.
£45 early bird price until July 31st.
Refreshments and lunch provided.
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Last Updated: 25 June 2026