Tackling Loneliness
Extending Our Reach in Tackling Loneliness
The report is a follow-on from our 2019 report, Right Up Your Street, which highlighted the breadth of faith-based provision in tackling loneliness.
Since then, we’ve been researching the involvement of faith groups in social prescribing connector schemes, by speaking to the organisations that commission and provide them. We wanted to find out about the awareness of faith-based provision throughout the country, as many areas are in the early stages of setting up their social prescribing systems.
Our report contains recommendations on how faith groups should be involved with social prescribing, in turn benefiting the mental and physical health of local communities. The recommendations are aimed at:
- National policy makers
- The health and care system
- Faith-based organisations
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Right Up Your Street: Faith's response to loneliness
We are increasingly recognising what a big issue loneliness is in our society, and what terrible effects it can have. Tackling loneliness is becoming a political priority, with a Government strategy in 2018 and a national campaign beginning in June 2019. But all this is nothing new for faith groups, who have been “right up your street” – often for decades and more – working to provide places where people can feel they belong.
This report from FaithAction highlights just some of the ways in which faith groups are working to tackle loneliness and isolation. It analyses the key features of their work and calls for more links between faith groups and other organisations as part of a national drive to end loneliness.
What are we doing?
FaithAction is exploring faith groups’ response to loneliness, social isolation and integration, and working to highlight the major role faith-based organisations are already playing in tackling what has become a key issue in our society.
We’re also looking at what more faith groups can do, and how to link them up with government policies on tackling loneliness – such as its A Connected Society strategy, and initiatives around social prescribing.
Updates
- 6th July 2019 – Loneliness (no longer available online)
Trans-World Radio covered the launch of Right Up Your Street and spoke with Carl Knightly of Faith in Later Life and Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, chair of the APPG on Faith and Society. - 3rd July 2019 – Interview on The News Hour (via Premier Christian Radio, segment begins 21m40s)
Rodie Garland, one of the authors of Right Up Your Street, spoke with Premier Christian Radio about the findings of the new report and the impact of faith groups on loneliness. - 2nd July 2019 – Why public services should look to faith to help tackle loneliness
The APPG on Faith and Society launched Right Up Your Street in Parliament, at an event featuring Mims Davies MP, Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Steve Double MP, Tim Farron MP, and Neil Churchill of NHS England. - 2nd July 2019 – Faith groups important for social prescribing (via UCB News on Soundcloud)
Jeremy Simmons, one of the authors of Right Up Your Street, spoke with UCB News about the role faith groups are playing in tackling loneliness. - 10th May 2019 – Faith groups meet minister for loneliness
FaithAction and representatives of Christians Together Against Loneliness meet with Mims Davies, the government minister with responsibility for tackling loneliness.
Who is involved?
We’re undertaking this work as part of our role as secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Faith and Society, and together with a coalition of faith-based charities:
Want to find out more?
For more information, please email [email protected].
