The faith of faith-based charity organisations in the voluntary sector

Author(s):  
Ryan Service

This paper examines faith’s complex role within faith-based organisations, challenging presumed homogeneity. Through a case study of four projects run by Christian charities in Birmingham, UK, it asks whether religion is performed or managed differently within these organisations. Analysing manager questionnaire responses, three broad themes are considered: religion’s organisational role, prayer, and the presence of religious others and nones. It is hoped that faith-based organisation staff are encouraged to articulate the religious dimension of their projects.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Kermode

PurposePerson-centred care is a fundamental component of any service. This case study aims to explore the delivery of person-centred care in the voluntary sector, discussing how integrating support can be achieved to benefit individuals. It identifies challenges, best practice and learning that can be applied across sectors and promotes further enquiry.Design/methodology/approachThis case study is the result of a service audit at a mental health charity. The findings are a blend of reflections, observations and examples from service delivery, synthesised with national policy to provide evidence of best practice and processes that enable person-centred care.FindingsA focus on need not diagnosis, creating accessible and inclusive services, employing dual trained practitioners, having a varied skill mix along with holistic self-assessment tools are all enablers for integrated person-centred support. Multi-agency assessment frameworks, collaboration across services, cross-agency supervision and a shared vision for integration and person-centred care support services to coordinate more effectively. Barriers to integrated person-centred support include complex physical and mental health needs and harmful risk and safeguarding. The diversity of the voluntary sector, a lack of resources along with complex and competitive funding also hinder integration.Originality/valueThis case study provides a valuable insight into the voluntary sector and shares its findings to enhance best practice. It aims to promote interest and invites further research into health and social care delivery by the voluntary sector. As this delivery continues to increase, it is vital to examine the interface between the voluntary and statutory sector. Through better understanding and further research across all sectors, the author can identify how they can achieve person-centred outcomes and deliver the national policies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
MADELEINE POWER ◽  
BOB DOHERTY ◽  
NEIL SMALL ◽  
SIMON TEASDALE ◽  
KATE E. PICKETT

AbstractThis paper derives from a study of community food aid in a multi-ethnic, multi-faith city in the North of England. The paper begins to make sense of the diversity of types of food insecurity assistance, examines the potential exclusion of certain groups from receipt of food aid, and explores the relationship between food aid providers and the state. Faith-based food aid is common in the case study area, particularly among food bank provision to the most ‘destitute’ clients. While food aid is adopting service responsibilities previously borne by the state, this does not imply an extension of the ‘shadow state’. Rather, it appears reflective of a pre-welfare state system of food distribution, supported by religious institutions and individual/business philanthropy, but adapted to be consistent with elements of the ‘Big Society’ narrative. Most faith-based providers are Christian. There is little Muslim provision of (or utilisation of) food aid, despite the local demographic context. This raises concerns as to the unintentional exclusion of ethnic and religious groups, which we discuss in the concluding sections.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-313
Author(s):  
Shofiqur Rahman Chowdhury ◽  
M. Rezaul Islam ◽  
Haris Abd Wahab

Author(s):  
Krystian Seibert ◽  
Alexandra Williamson ◽  
Michael Moran

The Australian philanthropic sector’s peak (or umbrella) membership body, Philanthropy Australia, has played a significant role in shaping sector responses to COVID-19 and influencing government policy initiatives regarding the voluntary sector. This research note explores four key actions taken by Philanthropy Australia, with a particular focus on policy advocacy. It highlights how ‘policy windows’ provide opportunities for voluntary sector peak bodies to demonstrate policy entrepreneurship, secure desirable policy outcomes and show their value to members, government and other stakeholders. ‘Bad times’ require new and innovative policy responses, and this research note provides insights into how voluntary sector peak bodies can shape policy and practice responses to major crises.


2022 ◽  
pp. 22-40
Author(s):  
Paula Cronovich ◽  
Jacqueline Mitchell

This case study delineates changes enacted in the cultural program for beginning-level Spanish language students at a private, faith-based university. Given the restrictions of the pandemic insofar as virtual teaching and learning, as well as the national and international context of racial strife and inequities, the instructors took the opportunity to utilize antiracist pedagogy in order to reach the goals of meaningful content and measurable student outcomes. One of the General Education learning outcomes demonstrates how well students understand the “complex issues faced by diverse groups in global and/or cross-cultural contexts.” Within the context of Latin America and the Latina/Latino experience in the United States, the assignments focus on the intersections of race and gender as they relate to cultural expressions, ensuring that the approach does not obfuscate contributions nor realities of people of color.


Author(s):  
Sarah Ahmed

Qandeel Baloch, a controversial Pakistani social media star, was killed by her brother in 2016 in the name of “honor.” Using Qandeel’s honor killing as a case study, this chapter analyzes honor killings to gain a better understanding of what they are, their prevalence, and the factors attributable to them, particularly in South Asia. The chapter also examines the role that social media has played globally in giving marginalized populations a voice and platform online while simultaneously making them more vulnerable to cyberbullying, harassment, and, in Qandeel’s case, even death. Through contextual and empirical accounts, the chapter cautions readers to not think of honor killings as a faith-based problem confined to a particular geographical region but, rather, as a larger epidemic that is strongly rooted in a culture that persists, to a small extent, in developed countries as well.


2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaowei Ding ◽  
Peter I. De Costa

Abstract The exploration of links between faith and second language pedagogy has been underexplored, and the emotional experiences of English language teachers of religious faith are even less studied in applied linguistics circles. This qualitative case study is an effort to address this gap in the research by investigating the faith-based emotional experiences of May, a veteran English lecturer practicing Buddhism in China, by drawing on multiple data sources that include interviews, classroom observations, WeChat conversations, student evaluations, and researcher journals. Our findings revealed that (1) May’s emotional experiences were strongly driven by and deeply derived from her Buddhist faith and other aspects of identity in the classroom; (2) her faith-based emotional experiences were dynamic and fluid; (3) her faith-based identity occupied a central position alongside her professional identities and had a transformative influence on both her emotional experiences and her identity development; and (4) the interactions among her emotional experiences, multiple identities, and pedagogical praxis were complex and reciprocal. The research implications, limitations and future directions are also discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-78
Author(s):  
Mark Bell

Abstract High-profile litigation in various jurisdictions has drawn attention to situations where conflict arises between the requirements of anti-discrimination law and the religious beliefs and practices of individuals and organizations. Although these disputes reflect genuine disagreements, this article argues that, in addition to litigation, other facets of the relationship between faith and anti-discrimination law need to be considered. Taking Catholic Social Teaching as a case study, the article explores anti-discrimination law through a theological lens. In this example, it identifies significant common ground where religious beliefs are congruent with anti-discrimination law, even if areas of divergence are also present. The article concludes that further exploration of law and theology could make a contribution to fostering a more constructive relationship between faith and anti-discrimination law.


2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 323-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Tomalin

Abstract In this article, drawing on the work of the development sociologist Norman Long, I make the case for an actor-oriented approach to understanding the ‘turn to religion’ by global aid actors over the past couple of decades. I ask, is the ‘turn to religion’ evidence of the emergence of post-secular partnerships or are faith actors being instrumentalized to serve neo-liberal development goals? I argue that neither option captures the whole story and advocate that the study of religion and development needs to move beyond a binary between the ‘turn to religion’ as either evidence of post-secular partnerships or of the ‘instrumentalization’ of religion by the secular global aid business, and instead to think about how faith actors themselves encounter and shape development discourses and frameworks, translate them into relevant formats and strategically employ them. Alongside the adoption of an actor-orientated approach, I build on the work of Lewis and Mosse, Olivier de Sardan and Bierschenk to view international faith-based organizations (IFBOs) as development brokers and translators. This approach allows me to articulate the distinctive role that many members of IFBOs report they play as intermediaries who shift register between the secular development language and the faith-inspired language of their local faith partners. I take the engagement of faith actors with the new Sustainable Development Goals framework as a case-study to explore this.


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