A new free online course for professionals explores how the design, management and use of parks and green spaces can influence how safe, welcoming and accessible they feel for women and girls.
Launching on 5 October 2026, Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls – Training for Professionals, was developed in partnership with the University of Leeds, the Police Crime Prevention Academy, Green Flag Awards, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, and Make Space for Girls. The 90-minute course brings together the research and the 10 Safer Parks Principles set out in the Safer Parks Guidance.
Safer Parks: from research to practice
Through interactive activities, real-world case studies and practical scenarios learners can explore how these principles can be applied in practice and consider how design and management decisions can influence people’s experience of a space.
The 10 principles are organised around three themes:
Eyes on the Park – the presence of people matters.
Awareness - the design, maintenance and management of a park can make a difference to how it is experienced.
Inclusion - listen to women and girls and involve them in shaping their parks and green spaces.
Safer Parks is about creating parks and green spaces where women and girls feel safer, more welcome and able to use and enjoy them
What will learners explore?
Unit 1: What makes a park feel safe or unsafe
An introduction to the research behind Safer Parks and the factors that can influence how safe and welcoming parks feel for women and girls, recognising both diverse experiences and shared needs.
Unit 2: The Safer Parks Principles
An introduction to the 10 Safer Parks Principles (SPPs) from the Safer Parks Guidance.
Two real-world video case studies demonstrate the impact of applying these principles, filmed in Rowntree Park in York and Maningfield playing fields in Bradford.
Unit 3: Designing and managing safer parks
Interactive 3D scenarios allow learners to identify good and poor design and management features, apply the Safer Parks Principles and propose practical improvements to enhance safety, access and a sense of belonging for women and girls.
Learners consider actions they can take in their own role and how they can work effectively with others to support change.
Unit 4: Assessing change and evaluating interventions
Learners are introduced to tools and methods for assessing park safety and gender inclusivity, and evaluating the impact of interventions. Further resources include the Safer Parks dashboard, which uses publicly available open-source data to translate spatial information into practical evidence to inform planning, design and management decisions relating to local parks.
Unit 5: End of course knowledge check and certificate
Following successful completion of the end-of-course knowledge test, learners can download an e-certificate which is endorsed by the University of Leeds, Green Flag Award Academy, Police Crime Prevention Academy and the Urban Design Group
Supporting designing out crime and VAWG
For specialist Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), for police problem solvers and for Neighbourhood Teams, the course can provide another evidence-based perspective to bring into conversations about crime, ASB (anti-social behaviour) and perceptions of safety in local parks and green spaces. This includes designing out crime practices such as visibility and sightlines, routes and access, lighting, landscaping, natural surveillance, maintenance, management and use of space, with a specific focus on how women and girls experience parks and the factors that can influence whether they feel safe, welcome and able to use them.
The Safer Parks guidance and course can also help bring the experiences of women and girls into wider crime prevention, community safety and Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy (VAWG) discussions. The Government’s VAWG Strategy recognises the importance of prevention, early intervention and creating public spaces where women and girls feel safer. For police and DOCOs, the course can therefore provide another evidence-based perspective to bring into conversations about parks, communal gardens and public realm spaces.
Collaborative partnership working
The course is not aimed at one particular profession. Its value is in helping partners involved in designing, managing and maintaining parks and green spaces develop a shared understanding of the issues, consider what they can do within their own work and encourages collaborative working.
For local authority parks managers and community safety teams, this might mean considering how Safer Parks Principles can inform management plans, policies, engagement or future improvements. For planners, urban designers and landscape architects, it provides another perspective to consider when developing or reviewing spaces. For DOCOs and other local policing roles, the course can support conversations with other professionals, as well as national and local groups, helping to ensure that the experiences of women and girls are central to crime prevention and problem solving in local parks and green spaces.
Michael Brooke, Head of Government Advocacy and Police Engagement, Police CPI said: “Police Crime Prevention Initiatives and the Police Crime Prevention Academy are proud to support the Safer Parks initiative and help translate this important guidance into practical learning. The new online course provides an opportunity to take the Safer Parks principles further, helping park managers, local authorities and Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) understand how they can be applied in practice and incorporated into their day-to-day work. By strengthening knowledge and confidence in designing out crime, we can help create safer, more inclusive parks where everyone feels welcome and able to participate.”
Dr Anna Barker, University of Leeds said: “The Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls online training course is so important because it brings the Safer Parks Principles to life in a way that is practical, accessible and relevant for everyone who has a role in shaping, managing and caring for our parks.
“For me, the real value lies in seeing the voices of women and girls from our research translated into action. The course helps bridge the gap between evidence and practice, giving people the knowledge and confidence to apply the principles in their own settings. That's how we create the wider change needed to make parks safer, more welcoming and equitable for everyone.”
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “Women and girls deserve the freedom to enjoy public spaces without fear. That’s why we’ve invested £477,000 so far in making parks across West Yorkshire safer. I’m delighted to see planners, designers and local leaders across our region and beyond putting these recommendations into practice to create spaces where everyone feels welcome, supported and safe.”
Paul Todd MBE, Accreditations Manager Keep Britain Tidy/Green Flag Award said, “Keep Britain Tidy and Green Flag Award is extremely proud to support the launch of the new Safer Parks online training courses this October. Built with academic, policing and urban design experts, we know this practical training will give park managers and local authorities the confidence to apply the Safer Parks Principles — creating safer, more inclusive green spaces with a focus on the needs of women and girls."
Helen Forman, Urban Design Manager at the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, said: “Creating public spaces where everyone feels safe and welcome starts with understanding different experiences and perspectives. This training module gives professionals the tools and confidence to put the principles of Safer Parks into practice. By helping designers, planners and partners see spaces through the eyes of women and girls, it will support the creation of parks that are more inclusive and accessible for everyone.”
Safer Parks: Improving Access for Women and Girls – Training for Professionals launches on 5 October 2026.