Overview

Faith groups in England and Wales are diverse in theology, structure, and culture. Understanding this diversity is crucial for effective partnership. Faith groups are often longstanding, relationally rich, volunteer-driven communities deeply embedded in their local areas.

There are thousands of places of worship across the UK:

• 40,300 Churches (Christian) 
• 1,500 Mosques (Muslim) 
• 454 Synagogues (Jewish)
• 200 Gurdwaras (Sikh)
• 190 Buddhist Temples (Buddhist)
• 161 Hindu Temples (Hindu)

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Essential Reading 

Whilst faith communities may be diverse in theology, culture, and governance, they all share a commitment to love, hospitality, and community care.

Why Churches Are Trusted Community Partners

Churches are present in every community, and have often been part of a local community’s life for generations. They are places that offer support from cradle to grave and will usually hold a range of activities for young children, parents, adults and the elderly, as well as the usual rites of passage such as weddings and funerals.

They offer a range of services that are widely used by the community, for example, there are typically 25-30 church-based parent and toddler groups reaching 50% of pre-school children in a local authority area with 200,000 population. _{(Source: Gather Movement)}

Churches’ community activities offer non-judgemental, welcoming spaces which are open to all, with no requirement to prove a certain level of need to access them. This makes them great places to offer strengths-based approaches. 

"The presence of a trusted adult or mentor within a community or faith setting can be a strong protective factor." The Risk and Resilience Matrix

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Things to know before engaging with churches

A diverse group

There are a number of key differences across faith groups, which range from matters as wide as core beliefs and practices, through to more subtle differences like language, structures and expectations. The best way to navigate these complex issues is to ask open, sensitive questions to the faith stakeholders you are working with to understand their specific context.

Community partners

More importantly for Family Hubs, there are a number of features that faith groups have in common which make them great partners in supporting children and families. They have significant experience and skill in supporting their own children and families. Many are also already involved in community-based social action, putting on activities and forming relationships with families in their communities who are not part of the faith. 

Relational

Faith groups often operate on trust and relationships rather than formal contracts. This makes them a committed and sustainable partner for Family Hubs, because their family support is often led by volunteers, has been running for decades, and is not subject to funding cycles. But it does mean you’ll need a different approach to a more contractual conversation with a supplier. Being sensitive to this in your communication and being as relational as possible, prioritising in-person meetings or phone calls, will work best.

Safe and professional

So, we have seen that faith groups have diverse traditions and outreach models but it is worth noting that the majority are constituted as legal charities and must comply with the usual Charity Commission governance requirements. Many of them have been providing community services for years and do so to a safe and professional standard (see Section 6).

Love your Neighbour

Roles Churches Play in Family Hubs

Case Studies

Yeovil Community Church/Yeovil4Family: holistic family support in church-run Hub

Yeovil Community Church (YCC), through its community facility The Gateway, offers a model of transformational community engagement that closely aligns with the principles of a Family Hub, though it evolved independently of formal government initiatives.

Since acquiring a disused car showroom in 2000, YCC has repurposed The Gateway into a vibrant centre providing a wide range of services, including a long-established food bank, parent and toddler groups, youth and children's programmes, parenting support, and a community coffee shop. The building operates extensively throughout the week, hosting both YCC-run activities and services delivered by partners such as the NHS, drug and alcohol support providers, and refugee support networks.

In 2011, YCC launched Yeovil4Family, a home-based family support service utilising a multidisciplinary team of staff and trained volunteers. In 2012, Yeovil4Family secured a service-level agreement with South Somerset District Council (now Somerset Council) to deliver the Troubled Families Programme, a relationship that continues despite the council heading into financial difficulties in 2024 meaning that the long-standing funding relationship had to be significantly reduced. The programme supported 150–200 families at a time, offering intensive, tailored support integrated with local statutory and voluntary services whilst fully funded. With reduced funding, the programme now offers some one to one support for families plus multiple peer support groups in order to enable their vital support to continue. 

Building upon the foundation of Yeovl4Family, YCC expanded to include services for homeless and vulnerably housed individuals through The Roost, and in 2022 following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, established a Welcome Hub. Both of these initiatives are supported by funding from the local council, and YCC played a key role in Somerset’s refugee resettlement response, helping establish and support Welcome Hubs for Ukrainian, Syrian, and Afghan families across Somerset. 

Central to YCC’s model is a relational approach that sees every individual as having both needs and contributions. Its third-sector positioning allows it flexibility and agility, enabling innovation and co-designed service delivery alongside partners including local councils, housing associations, healthcare providers, and fellow voluntary organisations.

The Gateway serves as an anchor institution within Yeovil, a place where individuals and families across a spectrum of circumstances find connection, support, and the opportunity to flourish.

Alice Knight, a Manager at Somerset Council, said this is what the Council had learned from working in partnership with Yeovil Community Church.

We have worked in close partnership with Yeovil Community Church for well over 10 years now. We’ve all learned a lot from each other, but I’d say we’ve learned something deeper from them that we don’t encounter often.

As a local authority with lots of statutory duties, coupled with never-ending jargon and acronyms, it’s always refreshing to work with YCC who keep people, families and community at the heart of what they do. Their inspiring, independent approach reminds us of what’s important, and to stick to what you believe in.  Their faith and commitment enables them to overcome those all-too-familiar bureaucratic hurdles and traditional public sector boundaries which surround our working lives!

Without YCC we never would have reached the people we’ve been able to reach. People trust them, people open up to them. They welcome them into their homes and lives and they talk to them, like they might never do with ‘someone from the council.’

Bridge Family Hub in Suffolk

Background
Bridge Community Church in Suffolk partnered with the Family Support Team at Suffolk County Council to set up Bridge Family Hub. It provides toddler groups, a coffee space, a community grocery, support for children not in school, a Ukrainian language group, and other local projects.

Challenges
Initially, the Hub struggled to navigate the complexities of working with the Local Authority and building relationships with key contacts. Although frontline professionals supported their work, gaining recognition from decision-makers proved difficult. Financial instability was a major issue, with a hard-won commissioning grant withdrawn after six months due to council budget cuts.

Solutions
The Hub adapted by broadening its partnerships across education, inclusion, and SEND teams. They learned to keep in constant communication with senior managers showing evidence that their service was necessary. Staying rooted in their mission, they supported both the community and local professionals, creating opportunities for hope even in difficult times.

Lessons Learned

• Keep building wide-ranging relationships across the Local Authority.
• Diversify funding and maintain strong evidence of impact.
• Stay focused on the small moments of hope that outweigh the challenges.