Young people race inclusion forum

The young people race inclusion forum is part of Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Police Race Action Plan (PRAP). The forum is part of the Involved workstream which is led by a superintendent and deputised by a chief inspector.

The aim of the forum is to replicate the successes of the adult race inclusion board (RIB). The members of the adult RIB scrutinise the progression of the PRAP. The overarching aims of the forum are to enable young Black people to share their opinions and to support the force in understanding a range of perspective to drive meaningful change.  

The intended outcomes of the young people race inclusion forum are to:

• increase the force’s engagement with young Black people
• improve young people’s contributions to policing governance
• improve trust and reconciliation between the Black community and Hertfordshire Constabulary

The young people race inclusion forum is for young Black people aged between 14 to 18 years. The force wrote to all secondary schools in Hertfordshire to encourage young Black people to be involved in the forum. All schools supported the force by sharing the letter with the relevant parents and guardians. The letter contained a QR code for an optional Microsoft form, where young Black people could provide their contact details and their reasons for wanting to join the forum. All schools in Hertfordshire have agreed to support the forum and consent is obtained from parents and guardians as part of the sign-up process.

Young person inclusion forum

The forum consists of 20 members who can serve a maximum term of one academic year. This is to ensure that the membership of the forum includes new insights and is line with the agreed age group. Forum members who are aged between 14 to 17 years can be invited to serve a second term at the discretion of the force. This will be based on the engagement of the individual, along with considering any longer-term projects which remain active.

While the number of members is not fixed, 20 has provided meaningful and sustained engagement. All who volunteered to take part and have met the prerequisite requirements have been included to date.

Two meetings are held each school term and updates on progress are shared with the force. Updates are also shared with forum members to demonstrate a feedback loop. A newsletter is shared with forum members’ parents and guardians at the end of each school term to showcase the ongoing and achieved work. Updates from the forum are supported by the force’s Corporate Communications Team, via a dedicated press officer. The newsletter is also shared with the schools and the local authority. 

The content for each forum session is planned out ahead of each term. The content is decided by a working group which oversees the running of all the forums. The working group members include:

• chief inspector - deputy lead for the workstream
• Hertfordshire County Council Children’s Services representative
• Adult Race Inclusion Board (RIB) member

Additional members can be invited to the working group depending on the topics being discussed, such as the force’s children and young people team.

Each forum session is delivered in-person, with the option to dial in if the young person is unable to travel. The forum also provides members with training, which is delivered by the children and young people team and Hertfordshire County Council.

Engagement and outreach

Engagement outside of the forum consists of periodic visits to schools across Hertfordshire. This enables additional viewpoints to be included in the forum. Posters have been designed by the force’s communication team and are displayed in custody suites. 

Cost and governance

There is no cost involved in the planning and delivery of the young people race inclusion forum. Progression of the forum is reported to the lead of the Inclusion workstream. Progress is also reported on a the PRAP Strategic meetings chaired by the chief constable. These meetings are held quarterly face-to-face and attended by all PRAP workstream leads and deputies. It is anticipated periodic updates will also be provided at the adult RIB meetings.

An evaluation began in November 2025 and is due to be completed by March 2026. The evaluation is being led by Hertfordshire Constabulary and is looking at:

• the overall impact of the forum
• whether the forum can be more integrated into the force’s command structure
• the feedback being captured from both attendees and parents

• the forum has been welcomed by members, their parents and guardians, and schools, the forum has enabled young Black people’s opinions to be incorporated into the existing PRAP feedback loop
• each session is well attended, and members have reported feeling comfortable to share their opinions and to support the force in understanding a range of perspective to drive meaningful change
• feedback is regularly reviewed to identify any common themes which can be used to develop officer and staff training

Key learning from the forum has been invaluable for working with local authority services and young Black people. They have been able to provide a magnitude of resources and support which has been essential to support the engagement.

Key learning

• It has been hugely impactful working with Hertfordshire County Council to provide the forum. The services for young people teams within the council have provided resources in terms of social workers and buildings to hold the forums. This has provided a more neutral setting for members to comfortably share their opinions.  
• The support of schools has been essential to identifying forum members. They have been supportive and understand the purpose of the forum.
• A challenge has been ensuring attendance at the forum sessions. To resolve this, the forum is hosted both in-person and online to maximise attendance.
• Another challenge has been trying to have a broad range of attendees from different backgrounds. The majority of young Black people who have attended had no previous exposure to policing and shared similar opinions. The force has used engagement tactics such as schools visits and the posters to encourage representation from all backgrounds.