FaithAction is the national network of faith-based organisations, hosted by LifeLine Projects.
The FaithAction team have been active in a number of ways responding to the current health crisis. As well as working alongside other LifeLine colleagues locally in Dagenham and East London, they have also advised councils in other areas of the country on how the changes to everyday life has a particular effect on faith-based organisations and on religious practices.
In central government, there is a recognition that faith and community groups play a key role at times like this. Therefore, FaithAction have been meeting with officials and Ministers from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on a weekly basis, to help shape government’s resourcing of the faith and voluntary sector. They have also been meeting regularly with the Ministry of Housing and Local Government about faith issues.
FaithAction continues in their key role at this time as a member of the VCSE Health and Wellbeing Alliance, a partnership between the voluntary sector and the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and NHS England. The team have given input to the guidance being developed by government–often on short turn-around times–advised how policies will affect communities on the ground, and helped input into the launch of NHS volunteer responders and the Nightingale field hospitals.
Key national organisations and officials have been coming together in the VCE Emergency Partnership chaired by the Red Cross. FaithAction have joined this group as it starts to look at unmet need and inequalities.
To keep FaithAction members informed, the team continue to develop our Coronavirus resources page and will be hosting some online forums in days to come–keep an eye on the website for further information!
