Social Care and Civic Engagement in the London Methodist District:

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• Social Care and Civic Engagement in the London
  Methodist District
• A report prepared for the Social Care and Civic
  Engagement Commissions of the London Methodist
  District
• Eva Neitzert Sociology Department LSE
• Professor Jane Wills, Geography Department, QMUL

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plan

• Background to the research
• Key findings social care
• Key findings civic engagement
• The map
• Thinking ahead?

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Background to the research

• Sept 2006 new Methodist London District
• Commissions Social Care Civic Engagement
• What is the current position?
• From there to strategy ...

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What was done?

• Questionnaires sent via Superintendents to cover
  all 267 Churches in the District
• Response rate of 42 (102 Churches)
• Follow up interviews to explore good practice
  with 24 respondents
• Analysis of data production of an electronic
  map completion of the report.

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Key findings social care

• 1. Directly provided services on site
• 2. Provided but off-site
• 3. Provided but at Circuit level
• 4. Hosted on site.

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Direct provision on site?
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• Numbers of users in the report, but significant
  that there are few paid workers
• Only 13 had no provision on site
• 10 of these would like to but suffered lack of
  funds, facilities, volunteers and leaders.
• As many as 70 would like to provide more ...

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Off-site and at circuit level?

• 34 involved often through partnerships with
  others.
• 33 involved with Circuit level provision - but
  only 15 wanted to do more at this level.

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Hosting activities?

• 90 were hosts to others (and the average number
  per church was 7)
• egs. CAB, playgroups, AA, refugee groups

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Key findings civic engagement

• 1. Involvement in faith/community forums
• 2. Frequency of meetings with local civic and
  political leaders
• 3. Direct involvement in local institutions

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Faith/community forums

• 63 of Churches participate
• And, concentration 29 involved in two or more
  forums 36 not involved in any

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Meetings with civic and political leaders

• 58 meets at least one
• councillors most regular (half every month or
  quarter)
• often ad hoc but many of the regulars host the
  councillor or MP at Church

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Involvement in local institutions

• 49 have at least one congregation member
  involved as elected or appointed office holder

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Community issues?
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Tackling these?

• People positive about engaging with civic
  leaders/politicians
• An increased campaigns focus (one respondent
  called on the Church to be an irritant to a
  complacent society)
• Facilitating understanding and dialogue,
  particularly between different faith and ethnic
  groups
• Working in partnership with other faith and
  community organisations
• Informing, sharing expertise, and providing
  spiritual leadership
• Supporting other groups and organisations to do
  good work (eg., by letting out space to
  emerging community organisations)
• Having an open doors policy to support people
  of diverse backgrounds.

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The map

• Available at http//www.londonmethodist.org/admin/
  Map.aspx

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Thinking ahead

• 2/3rds want to do more especially for young
  people, migrants and refugees, those suffering
  substance abuse.
• Many want a more campaigning approach
• Parallel with national survey of 49
  congregrations (Roehampton study 2006) church
  better at in-ward than outward activities.

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How on social care?

• Collating/disseminating information about good
  practice
• Developing London-wide strategy - mindful of
  three key barriers
• 1. facilities
• 2. staffing/volunteers
• 3. funding

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challenges

• Facilities help with funding/grants managing
  projects/planning.
• Staffing need to employ people but again raises
  issue of money.
• Funding often short-term often for start-ups -
  and Churches need their own money.

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Good practice

• Parchmore Centre, Thornton Heath (1700 users, 45
  groups, 20 staff, 120 volunteers)
• Harold Road Centre, Newham (10 office spaces 2
  staff community centre)
• HIV Chaplaincy (78 people for face to face
  support)
• Asylum ministry, Kings Cross (2000 use services
  every year)

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How on civic engagement?

• Challenges time engaging the congregation
  links beyond the Church
• Solutions integration in worship joining
  broad-based organisations and campaigns
  co-ordination across the District (egs. Make
  Poverty History TELCO Methodist campaigns? eg
  on immigration)

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And theology ...

• Where does social care and civic engagement fit
  theologically?
• Another area for partnership, information sharing
  and District strategy?

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Thanks!

• Queen Mary for facilitating the project
• Eva Neitzert, LSE, Researcher
• Ed Oliver, QMUL, Cartographer
• Paul Regan and the other leaders of the two
  Commissions