Empowering Communities to Care

In our ageing society, the efforts of community groups, churches, and individuals such as Faith in Later Life Church Champions play a crucial role in supporting and promoting flourishing in later life. Their work addresses a significant gap in service provision, highlighting the importance of their (often voluntary) work. Imagine the potential impact if the government worked with and supported churches and communities to further enhance the lives of older people, what an even greater difference we could make together!

Faith in Later Life is part of the coalition of charities that, coordinated by our partners Pilgrim Friends Society, has contributed to the development of Empowering Communities. This initiative has garnered support from key figures such as the Rt Revd Michael Beasley, Bishop of Bath & Wells, and Professor Keith Brown, Founding Director and Emeritus Professor of the National Centre for Post Qualifying Social Work and Professional Practice.

Empowering Communities sets out a vision for social care which harnesses both statutory provision and community-based assets to create a new model for caring well for our ageing population.

Containing important insights derived from scalable grass-roots initiatives, Empowering Communities helps shape thinking and policy-making in the social care sector, inlcuding the need to:

Champion and value the role of volunteers
Encourage the private and charity sector
Integrate the delivery of social care
Endow legitimacy to community entrepreneurs

To find out more, please download Empowering Communities to Care.

(April 2024)