As part of the government's Serious Violence Strategy, announced earlier this month, the Serious Violence Taskforce will bring together the voluntary sector, local government, police and other key sectors to ensure the strategy is delivered effectively.
The government has announced that it will have a total of 24 members, including a number of leaders from the youth sector - John Poyton, chief executive of youth work charity Redthread, Kathryn Morley, chief executive of Onside Youth Zones, and the head of the Gangs SOS project for St Giles Trust, Junior Smart.
The chief operating officer of Catch 22, Naomi Hulston,and the chief executive of the Ben Kinsella Trust, Patrick Green, and children's commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, have also been appointed to the taskforce.
In terms of politicians, the taskforce will include, among others, children's minister Nadhim Zahawi, minister for crime, safeguarding and vulnerability Victoria Atkins, and will be chaired by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
"I am determined that the Serious Violence Strategy will have an immediate impact on tackling the scourge of serious violence," Rudd said.
"I am absolutely clear that the taskforce must work with the government to deliver the strategy's commitments. Together, we will seek to prevent serious violence from happening in the first place and ensure the measures that I set out when I launched the strategy are delivered.
"Everyone joining the taskforce is committed to ending the serious violence blighting our communities and I look forward to working together in the weeks and months ahead."
The serious violence strategy is being backed with £40m of government money, including £11m for an Early Intervention Youth Fund to support community projects that help steer young people away from violence.
