17 minute read
Working in Partnership
PartnershipWorking in
At Thirtyone:eight we believe value is brought by combining different perspectives, knowledge and expertise. We aim to strengthen the support we provide through working with others where possible. This is demonstrated in our new five year strategy with its focus on having a collaborative approach. For us, ‘partnership’ means more than simply having another charity or company logo on a website. Partnership is about relationship and an outward benefit. Working in partnership ensures our members and those that come to us for support get the best possible service with a wide array of resources. Thirtyone:eight has worked in partnership with a number of other charities and organisations over the years and continues to do so. Here we highlight three current
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partners we are working with:
Youthscape
Youthscape’s mission is to bring positive transformation in the lives of young people – especially those facing critical challenges and issues in their lives. Youthscape began over 25 years ago in Luton. They worked alongside secondary schools, aiming to show that Christians can and should be promoting positive change in their communities and in the lives of young people. Over the years, the resources, research on youth culture and training courses developed in Luton by Youthscape have begun to be used by youth workers across the country. As part of our ongoing partnership, Thirtyone:eight and Youthscape have worked together to produce a number of resources for churches and youth workers, including our joint guidance on communicating and working safely with young people online. Another resource we have created together is an interactive ‘game’ for youth workers called ‘Safe?’. This game is for anyone working with young people, whether that is professionally or in a voluntary role. The game is designed to help people recognise signs of various types of abuse or safeguarding risk by creating hypothetical situations and asking them to consider their response. As the fictional case study grows, they have to decide whether or not this young person is a safeguarding concern and how they would respond.
youthscape.co.uk
Restored
Another charity we work in partnership with is Restored. Domestic abuse happens in churches too, and Restored equip the Church to end domestic abuse and create a safe place for survivors of abuse. Restored was launched in June 2010 as an international Christian alliance dedicated to transforming relationships and ending violence against women. Since then they have provided thousands of churches with packs on ending domestic abuse, have trained over 5,000 church leaders and safeguarding officers and have published the first ever research study on domestic abuse in British churches. Among other things they have also established both an online survivors’ network and a network for men to help end violence against women. We have worked with Restored to produce a training course (currently available as a webinar) which looks at the prevalence and impact of domestic abuse and explores how the church is not immune from these issues. The course looks at how to respond well and actions to take to address this form of abuse. The course is for anyone who is passionate about preventing domestic abuse and helping people access the right support.
restored-uk.org
Kintsugi Hope share our joint commitment to promoting safer places for vulnerable people. Kintsugi Hope was founded by
Diane and Patrick Regan after a series of events took them to the brink; physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. They faced illness and loss in their family and community. They wrote a book and produced a DVD about their experiences. Through opening up about their struggles they realised how many people have felt alone in theirs and the great need for each of us to be vulnerable, open and honest when life is hard.
Over the last year the Kintsugi Hope team have spoken about wellbeing through conferences, tours, seminars, breakfast meetings, and preaching. Internationally, they are committed to working and supporting people whose mental and emotional health has been affected by conflict, trauma and poverty, particularly within the refugee community. The vision of Kintsugi Hope is: ‘A world where mental and emotional health is understood and accepted, with safe and supportive communities for everyone to grow and flourish.’ The vision of Thirtyone:eight is: ‘A world where every child and adult can feel, and be, safe.’ The parallels of the visions of the two charities have the potential to further our joint aims for the good of everyone who is supported by each charity. This comes at a time when safeguarding and mental wellbeing are among the most important concerns facing the Church today.
kintsugihope.com
Partnerships are a key part of growth for charities and organisations. We hope to build more partnerships in the future.
International Missions
Many churches and faith-based organisations have some sort of involvement in overseas mission and the positive contribution this makes to people’s lives around the world is well-known.
However, recent headlines highlighting poor practice by some organisations working abroad have alerted society to the need for scrutiny around overseas missions. When an organisation based in the United Kingdom sends someone to work or serve overseas, the expectation is that appropriate measures will be in place. This includes vetting the suitability of individuals and making sure their working practice is as safe as possible for themselves and the people they work with. Sadly, this has not always been the case. As the United Kingdom’s only independent Christian safeguarding charity working with churches and faith-based organisations, requests for Thirtyone:eight’s expertise in the area of safeguarding in international Christian work (ICW) have grown recently. This has compelled us to develop our support and base it on the latest understandings, statistics and research. However, with ICW we found limited knowledge about what is needed, particularly for sending organisations such as churches and charities.
We responded by commissioning Dr Lisa Oakley and Professor Moira Lafferty, from the School of Psychology at the University of Chester, to undertake research into safeguarding in ICW. The exploratory study used a questionnaire to discover the experiences of agencies supporting people in the United Kingdom engaged in ICW, as well as the experiences of individuals who engage in ICW. We published the findings of our research on 25th February 2021 in a report called: ‘Sending and serving safely’ which is available to download from our website.
69%
of agencies and organisations surveyed in the research stated they had a written child safeguarding policy that included a section for those going overseas who will be contacting children and young people.
74%
stated they provided ongoing child safeguarding support when individuals were overseas.
86%
stated they prepared individuals to address child safeguarding concerns that could arise overseas.
Although this is certainly very encouraging, the results from individuals engaged in ICW (or in the past three years) showed a slightly different picture and highlights the difference between policy and process and the challenging reality of implementing these in practices on the ground.
44%
of individuals stated they underwent recruitment processes when they applied for ICW.
56%
stated their organisation had a child safeguarding policy covering working with children and young people in ICW.
31%
stated they were provided with child safeguarding training.
47%
felt the organisation helped to prepare them for any child safeguarding concerns that could arise.
42%
of individuals reported they encountered child safeguarding issues they had not been prepared for.
62%
of those previously engaged in ICW reported they were not provided with a debrief.
The safeguarding challenges identified were:
• Cultural differences in awareness and understandings of child safeguarding.
• The need to work in a culturally sensitive way.
• Issues around boundaries and legislation.
• The need for safeguarding procedures and oversight.
• Challenges associated with partnership working.
• Safeguarding of individuals engaged in ICW.
To view the research go to: thirtyoneeight.org/ICWresearch Participants suggested areas that training should cover, including:
• Cultural differences and cultural sensitivity.
• Preparation.
• Policies procedures and indicators.
• Awareness of safeguarding in host country.
• Legislation.
The answers provided by organisations showed awareness of the challenges of safeguarding internationally and provided detailed reflections. The major challenge seems to be implementing good safeguarding practice in a context of different cultures, whilst guarding against an ethnocentric mindset.
This raises some critical points but demonstrates awareness and engagement with safeguarding from organisations supporting those undertaking ICW.
The responses from individuals who are, or have been engaged in ICW in many ways reflect that from organisations. However, there were more comments on differences in understandings of child safeguarding in locations where there is limited or no equivalent understanding to the British context workers are from.
The findings demonstrate some good practice but show further materials, support and training will enhance safeguarding for children and young people in ICW and those who engage in this work.
Recommendations for improving practice and support:
1. Organisations which support individuals in ICW with children and young people should ensure they are safely recruiting those they are sending. 2. Cultural difference and sensitivities with regard to child protection should be specifically addressed by organisations as part of an individual’s preparation for ICW, including when and how to report concerns. 3. Specific training which prepares individuals for ICW with children and young people should be developed and made accessible for organisations to offer to individuals before they undertake any work. 4. Organisations who support individuals in
ICW should provide an opportunity for all workers to debrief.
5. Specific resources should be developed and made accessible to support organisations to help them recruit safely, support and equip individuals who engage with ICW through them. 6. An awareness campaign aimed at organisations reminding them of the importance of safer recruitment should be developed to make this a common feature of all ICW.
The findings of this research provide a foundation on which to further develop safeguarding policy and practice in this area. What we have sought to do with this research is give a voice to the experience of those working on the frontline of ICW, so we can learn and develop methods to support them and fill any gaps in practice. Through this report we have given recommendations which we hope will be a resource for anyone preparing to travel abroad to work with children and for the organisations that send and support them. Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Select Committee, commented on the research. She said: “Thirtyone:eight are uniquely placed to understand the issues of safeguarding in international work with children where there is a Christian faith basis.
“I am hugely encouraged that they have collaborated with the University of Chester to undertake this exploratory study into this underresearched area.
“The recommendations that this research have produced should be considered by all organisations who are engaged in international work with children and young people; whether this is short or longer term.”
Meet our patron: Dr Paula Gooder
We’re continuingly looking for ways to raise awareness of safeguarding and to get the message out about the importance of creating safer places. To help us do this even more effectively we’ve recently started working together with a small group of charity patrons to help us raise the profile of the work that we do to protect vulnerable people from abuse. We’re delighted to announce our newest patron Dr Paula Gooder. Dr Gooder is a writer and lecturer in Biblical Studies. Her research areas focus on the writings of Paul the Apostle, with a particular focus on 2 Corinthians and on Paul’s understanding of the Body. Her passion is to ignite people’s enthusiasm for reading the Bible today, by presenting the best of biblical scholarship in an accessible and interesting way. She is currently the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Q&A
1. You’ve worked in and with churches for most of your life, what have been some of the main lessons this has taught you about church and your faith?
One of the things that I am constantly astounded by are the countless faithful Christians, who everyday of their life live out God’s love and justice in the world. Almost every week I meet (in person or online) someone who so lives out the good news of Jesus in the world that I am inspired all over again. And yet – as we all know so well – it is so very easy to get things wrong, to go for what is easy rather than what is right. One of the crucial features of faithful Christian living is the ability to hear the voice of critique that asks us to look again at ourselves and our actions and ask how Christ-like we have really been.
2. As a writer (having written and co-authored over 30 books) and lecturer in Biblical studies, what inspires and motivates you most in your work?
The Bible! One of the great joys of my life is that it is my job to read the Bible carefully and prayerfully and to ask what new things we can learn from it. I never cease to be inspired by it – especially the writings of Paul which are my particular expertise – and to gain wisdom from its pages.
3. Who are your role models or people that inspire you, either from history or present day?
People who change the world by being who God has called them to be: from Paul the Apostle to Phoebe the Deacon (Rom 16.1-2); from Theresa of Avila to Mother Theresa; from Mary Seacole to Ruth Bader-Ginsberg; from the Bishop Ellinah Wamukoya (Bishop of Swaziland/Eswatini who sadly died from Covid-19 in January 2021) to Bishop Sarah Mullally, Bishop of London. Yes I do recognise that nearly all of these are women but it is, for me as a woman, so very encouraging to look to those many women who have changed the world by being themselves and to be inspired by them.
4. You have a passion for ecumenism. What does Christian unity mean to you and why do you think it is so important for the church?
I am passionate about church unity but not the kind of church unity that pretends that we don’t really disagree. For me church unity is vital – it is what Jesus prayed for his followers in John 17 – but church unity only has value if we can be honest about what we really think and are humble enough to listen to those who are completely different from us so that we can discover what they can teach us about faith and following Jesus.
5. What do you see as some of the main challenges facing churches in the UK today?
Oh, there are so many it is hard to know where to start. We live in anxious times and it is possibly anxiety about the future that is the biggest challenge the churches face. We spend such a long time worrying about things over which we have no control at all that we forget to celebrate what we do have – the good news of Jesus Christ, Son of God is no less good news than it was 2000 years ago. Maybe our biggest challenge is to remind ourselves why it is such good news!
6. You’ve studied and spoken on theology throughout your career, and served for six years with the Bible Society as their Theologian in Residence. Why is theology so important to you, and what role does it play in the way churches and faith organisations respond to safeguarding issues?
For me theology is very simply words about God. Talking about God thoughtfully and carefully is what we are all called to do as Christians. While some people are called to be professional theologians, we are all called to do theology. So theology is important to me because in my view it is important. Finding the right words to describe God and everything God has done in the world is really important. In terms of safeguarding, I think that good theology will lead us to be passionate about taking care of everyone, no matter who they are, in such a way that they will know the love of God for themselves. I think it is very important to ensure that what we say about ourselves (our espoused theology) matches what we do (our operant theology). Sadly, in the past what churches have done has been, in some instances, a long way from what they claimed to believe about God. 7. You’ve worked for the Diocese of Birmingham as their Director of Mission Learning and Development. What do you see as the biggest opportunities to the church for mission in the current times?
I would say that sharing the love of God in Jesus Christ is always our opportunity for mission. It doesn’t change if circumstances change – how we do it might change – but proclaiming God’s love remains at the heart of who we are called to be as Christians.
8. Awareness of safeguarding among churches and the need to invest time, money and energy into creating safer places for all is growing. Why do you think safeguarding is so important for churches and how does it reflect the message of the Gospel?
It is really very simple. If we believe that everyone is created in the image of God and is loved by God, then our churches must reflect that in every single relationship. Safeguarding is surely an outworking of the belief that everyone deserves to live, not just free from harm or abuse, but fully alive and aware of the fact that they are a child of God, loved and precious. Safeguarding provides the protocols that allows this to be a lived reality for everyone.
9. What does becoming an ambassador for Thirtyone:eight mean to you?
I have always been passionate about safeguarding generally, and particularly in the church. Becoming an ambassador for Thirtyone:eight allows me to stand with them, and with all the vitally important work that they do, to call the churches to look again and again at themselves and ask whether what they do in practice lives up to God’s vision for us and for the world.
NEW International safeguarding policy template.
Does your charity or organisation work internationally or support those that do?
Charity regulators across the United Kingdom have an expectation that all partner agencies will have effective safeguarding arrangements in place. When it comes to writing a safeguarding policy that covers international work, what do you include and where do you even start? Introducing our brand new international safeguarding policy template and guidance. Available to members to download for free from our website, this template and accompanying guidance notes provide everything you need to develop an effective safeguarding policy for your organisation.
Find out more at: Thirtyoneeight.org/get-help
“Safeguarding can be a subject that some people are not too keen to listen to. Using the great resources you provided everyone was engaged. ” Safeguarding Sunday 10th October 2021
Join hundreds of churches across the country who throughout October will be highlighting all the incredible work that is being done to make our churches safer for all.
It’s your chance to:
• Explain why safeguarding is so important • Talk about what you have in place to keep people safe • Introduce your safeguarding team • Acknowledge and thank your volunteers • Commit together as a church to create safer places for all
Register and download your free resource pack: thirtyoneeight.org/safeguarding-sunday to sign-up and take part.
