The Parish Magazine June 2023

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An independent report — published on 26 April and described as 'a landmark
review into faith engagement' — has found the UK Government 'needs to
recognise faith groups as a force for good'. It states that a better understanding
of faith will help the Government tackle systemic issues such as forced marriages,
child safeguarding and extremism.
Colin Bloom, an independent faith
engagement advisor, considered how
government can best celebrate the
contribution of faith groups, while
tackling harmful practices. More than
21,000 people responded to the public
consultation and 22 recommendations
for government have been set.
Colin Bloom has held a number
of roles in politics which have
focussed on working towards greater
representation of faith in politics.
Previously he was executive
director of the Conservative Christian
Fellowship and director of Christians
in Politics.
As the government's faith
engagement adviser, his role is to make
recommendations to the communities
secretary about how the government
can best celebrate and support the
contribution of faith groups, break
down barriers and promote acceptance
between faiths, and promote shared
values while tackling cultures and
practices that are harmful.
In his review, Colin Bloom
examined engagement with faith in
a wide range of public institutions
from the Civil Service and Armed
Forces, to schools and prisons, and
called on government to bring in
a new programme of faith literacy
training for all public sector staff,
ensuring public servants understand
those they are helping, and to increase
partnership opportunities with faith
groups who are already playing a
valuable role in the social fabric of our
society.
Bloom noted that a better
understanding of faith would also
equip government to tackle issues
such as forced marriage, of which there
are estimated to be thousands a year
in the UK; radicalisation in prison;
and faith-based extremism, including
the ongoing challenge of Islamist
extremism, and the small but growing
The Parish Magazine - June 2023 19
Government needs to better understand faith,
independent review claims
BREAK BARRIERS
trends of Sikh extremism and Hindu
nationalism.
The report also calls for appropriate
regulation of out-of-school settings,
including the faith-based sector, to
safeguard the physical safety and
wellbeing of children.
CHALLENGES
Colin Bloom, said: 'For millions
of people, faith and belief informs
who they are, what they do and how
they interact with their community,
creating strong ties that bind our
country together.
'As we as a nation continue to
become more diverse, so too does
the landscape of faith and belief.
Our government’s understanding
of the role of faith in society must
remain both current and alive to its
evolutionary changes.
'It must also not shy away
from some of the challenges that
exist in small pockets within faith
communities, from forced and coercive
marriages to faith-based extremism,
financial exploitation, and child
safeguarding. These must not be
consigned to the ‘too difficult’ box.
'Greater understanding of faith
in all its diversity will ensure that
we remain a country that respects,
celebrates and understands people of
all faiths, beliefs and none.'
SHINE A LIGHT
Faith minister, Baroness Scott of
Bybrook said:
'As faith minister I will continue to
shine a light on the important work of
faith groups across the country, who
play such an important role in public
life. I welcome this review and thank
Colin for his work – we will carefully
consider the recommendations and
I’ll make it my mission to continue to
work closely with those of all faiths.'
Bloom notes that there are many
areas where government is already
doing good work with faith groups,
Wenling01, dreamstime.com
including the Faith New Deal grant
programme, the co-design of Covid-19
guidance with places of worship, and
tackling freedom of religion or belief
internationally. He argues that this
good practice should be built on and
applied consistently across services to
enable stronger and more integrated
communities.
RESPONSE
The Government has stated that
it will consider the findings and
will respond in due course, but in
the meantime, The Rev Dr Malcolm
Brown, the Church of England’s
director of faith and public life, has
issued this response:
'Faith is at the centre of people’s lives
and churches and other faith groups are at
the very centre of communities, providing
both inspiration and practical support.
The Church of England is involved
in more than 35,000 initiatives in
communities and works to tackle
deprivation and promote social cohesion
through church schools, chaplaincies
in prisons and higher education and in
thousands of practical programmes in its
parishes.
We welcome the recognition in the
report of the need for religious literacy
and a greater public understanding of the
major world faiths.
It is a fact that the majority of people
in England and Wales identify with a
religion, so faith is not a minority pursuit.
We look forward to hearing how
any training and education in the field
of religious literacy can be done in
partnership with religious communities
and from a perspective that sees faiths in
the round.'