AMID cuts to statutory services, churches are well placed to serve as early responders to families in need, “before thresholds are met, before trust is broken, and before families reach breaking point”, a new report says.
The report, More than Sundays, was produced by the Children and Families Alliance, comprising three Christian charities working with vulnerable children and families: Safe Families and Home for Good (Features, 27 March 2023); Transforming Lives for Good (News, 27 August 2021); and Kids Matter (Features, 27 September 2019).
It describes the current landscape for early intervention. Local-authority spending on this fell by 46 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2021-22, according to a study by Pro Bono Economics. In contrast, spending on “late intervention”, such as youth justice and children in care rose by 47 per cent over the same period, making up four-fifths of spending on children’s services.
“This shift is not just fiscal,” the report says. “It reflects a fundamental transformation in how the system operates . . . locking councils into a reactive mode that responds only once harm has occurred.”
There are currently 83,630 children in the care system in England: a 23-per-cent increase since 2014. The Department for Education reports that nearly one child in five is not meeting expected development milestones by the end of school reception year.
The charities that make up the Alliance provide parenting support, including parenting programmes, and practical help to families in need. More than Sundays estimates that, through a network of nearly 7000 volunteers, they have supported the lives of more than 33,000 children and more than 12,000 families, while “inspiring and equipping” more than 1800 new carers.
It calls on the Government to prioritise investment in early-intervention models delivered through community organisations, including churches, and to set up a cross-departmental working group to explore how partnerships between local authorities and faith-based organisations can be expanded and evaluated.
“Churches are not statutory agencies and that is precisely their strength,” it says. “Church-based support and interventions are uniquely relational, accessible, and stigma-free. They meet families where they are, quite often literally. In village halls, lunch clubs, toddler groups, coffee mornings, mentoring sessions, and home visits, church volunteers offer early support that feels informal, safe, and human. In this way, churches act as early responders, noticing the issues, responding to the overlooked, and providing help long before statutory services are triggered.”
A strength of the Church is its “vast network of committed volunteers”, the report says. “While there will inevitably be some roles in the children’s social care sector that require salaried staff, there are many opportunities where trained volunteers can be deployed effectively around children and families who are in need.”
The three charities report that families who are struggling “often demonstrate higher levels of trust and willingness to engage with volunteers rather than employees of statutory services. . . For many families, a mistrust of statutory officials can stem from feeling that individuals are ‘paid to be there’ whereas with volunteers, families are often encouraged by a person’s willingness to give of their own time, energy and focus, knowing that they are not being financially paid in return.”
Church-based groups are not an alternative to statutory provision, but a “vital complement”, it says. “Their deep local presence, relational trust, and low-barrier access make them uniquely placed to reach families before problems escalate. In short, they are already part of the early help infrastructure. What’s missing is consistent recognition and resourcing.”
