Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is inviting charitable organisations to apply for funding to design and deliver voluntary training courses to faith leaders and those in pastoral roles in faith organisations to support communities.
There is a budget of £200,000 available per financial year to fund this initiative from January 2019 to March 2020. It is expected that there will be one programme provider though the grant could be divided between two separate providers.
The training should be accessible for all faith leaders and those in pastoral roles in faith organisations, regardless of faith or belief, with a view to enabling and supporting confident ministering in a 21st century context.
For the purposes of this programme, a ‘faith leader’ refers to those in officially appointed religious roles as well as leaders, trustees, staff and volunteers in significant pastoral and outward-facing roles within faith institutions and communities.
To be eligible, the organisation, or the lead partner in a consortium bid, must:
The training should ensure that faith leaders are well-equipped and well-positioned to teach their congregations about their rights and responsibilities in the following areas, as well as to be able to identify issues, support affected individuals and signpost people to relevant guidance, legislation and support services in the following areas:
Training programmes should also cover:
The deadline for applications is 20 December 2018 (5pm).