Ygam launches Prevention Delivery Network for levy-funded providers in England

The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (Ygam) convened the inaugural meeting of the Prevention Delivery Network on 1 October 2026, bringing together the 33 organisations commissioned under the new statutory gambling levy. The commissioned organisations received awards through the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund, with funding announced in April 2026 by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).

What happened at the inaugural meeting of the Prevention Delivery Network

Ygam invited all 33 commissioned organisations to the first meeting to establish a forum for collaboration among groups delivering levy-funded prevention activity in England. Representatives from organisations across England attended for a programme of introductions, information-sharing and discussion about joint working. Ygam chaired the meeting during the network's formation stage.

The meeting's stated objectives were to build relationships between funded bodies, develop a clearer understanding of each organisation's delivery models and explore ways to strengthen the combined impact of prevention investment. Attendees discussed delivery approaches, common operational challenges and potential areas for collaboration.

"The creation of the Prevention Delivery Network marks an important step towards building a more connected and collaborative approach to gambling harm prevention under the new statutory levy," said Emily Tofield, CEO of Ygam.

Emily Tofield added that the meeting demonstrated strong engagement from both long-established providers and new entrants, and emphasised the potential to learn from one another to improve delivery and maximise the value of the levy-funded investment.

Network design and governance

The Prevention Delivery Network will meet quarterly and operate as a practical, member-led forum for organisations delivering levy-funded prevention programmes. Ygam will chair the initial series of meetings to establish the network's structures and working practices. Chairing duties will rotate among participating organisations once the network is established, creating shared ownership of the network's future direction.

The quarterly schedule is intended to provide a regular cadence for sharing learning and insights from frontline delivery, discussing common problems and identifying opportunities to reduce duplication between programmes. The network's remit, as described at the inaugural meeting, focuses on coordination, peer learning and practical problem-solving rather than on commissioning or fund allocation.

Funding and commissioning background

The 33 organisations were commissioned through the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, the commissioning body for prevention in England, announced the funding awards in April 2026. The awards were made under the new statutory levy system that funds national prevention activity.

The statutory levy replaced previous voluntary or ad hoc funding mechanisms and centralised the commissioning of prevention work in England under OHID's remit. Commissioned organisations are delivering activity that the fund specifies as prevention and resilience work, and the Prevention Delivery Network is the first sector-wide coordination mechanism established specifically for those levy-funded providers.

What members will use the network for

Participants at the inaugural meeting identified several practical uses for the network:

• sharing delivery learning and evidence arising from local and national activity;

• discussing operational challenges, including staff recruitment, data collection and reporting requirements linked to levy funding;

• identifying opportunities for collaboration to fill geographic or thematic gaps and to reduce unnecessary duplication of services;

• forming working groups on common topics or audiences when needed.

The network is explicitly designed to be member-led, giving funded organisations scope to set meeting agendas and agree the priorities for joint work. Ygam's initial chairing role is temporary and focused on establishing governance norms and a regular meeting rhythm.

Implications for the prevention sector in England

Bringing levy-funded providers together creates a structured mechanism for collective learning and coordination. Providers with established prevention experience will meet newcomers who were awarded funding in April 2026, enabling a mix of tested approaches and fresh ideas to be exchanged. The network's quarterly timetable is intended to sustain an ongoing dialogue rather than one-off consultations.

Stakeholders at the meeting framed the network as a platform to ensure that the investment delivered through the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund is used efficiently, by sharing practical lessons and avoiding duplicate provision. The forum also aims to surface common issues back to the commissioning body, allowing OHID and providers to align on operational expectations.

Next steps and expectations

The Prevention Delivery Network will reconvene on a quarterly basis, with Ygam chairing the initial meetings before passing the role to participating organisations on rotation. Members will determine the detailed agenda and the working formats — whether plenary sessions, thematic sub-groups or shorter task-and-finish groups for specific issues.

Ygam will support the set-up phase and act as a convenor while the network establishes operating procedures. The intention expressed at the inaugural meeting was that the forum should remain practical and delivery-focused, with an emphasis on tangible coordination between levy-funded prevention programmes.

"By working together, we can learn from one another, strengthen delivery and maximise the collective impact of the investment being made in prevention," Emily Tofield said.

The network's creation is the first sector-wide convening for the organisations funded under the statutory levy and represents an operational step in the implementation of the Gambling Harms Prevention and Resilience Fund announced in April 2026. Members will use quarterly meetings to exchange delivery insights, address shared operational issues and agree collaborative approaches where appropriate.

For providers and observers tracking sector coordination, the Prevention Delivery Network will be the primary practical forum where levy-funded prevention activity in England is discussed and refined. Several participants noted that a member-led, rotating chair model should encourage shared responsibility and help sustain the network beyond its initial set-up phase.