Hosted by Good Faith Partnership and Christian Action Bristol, 60 representatives from 40 churches gathered at City Hall to explore how the church across the city
could better support vulnerable children and families.
Keynote speaker Hannah Woodhouse, Executive Director of the Children and Education Directorate at Bristol City Council, outlined key challenges facing the city and highlighted opportunities for collaboration with local churches.
Across the city of Bristol:
● 33% of children are in poverty
● Over 10,000 children in Bristol schools receive SEN support
● The attainment gap for disadvantaged pupils is more significant than the national average for Key
Stages 2 and 4
● The progress gap for students on Free School Meals is greater than the national average
● The city is seeing an increase in the number and complexity of need for Child Protection Plans
● £57 million is spent annually on 92 children based in residential care homes
Ms Woodhouse described the opportunities for collaboration and convening as positively "overwhelming" and shared that she was "aware of some of church-led work, but not aware of its richness."
"Events like this morning give you real hope that together, and only together, we can start to make a difference so that Bristol is the best place to grow up."
Hannah continued emphasising the importance of preventative work and called for greater collaboration between the council's crisis-response efforts and the church's capacity for holistic family support. "Where there are scarce resources, we have to make use of every single one together," she said.
Churches have already been partnering in the city across many social action and support areas with initiatives like Warm Spaces, food banks and more.
Amongst that work, co-host Good Faith Partnership (GFP) has been working with the Bristol City Council Family Hubs team to better engage with children, families and young people's provision offered by faith communities across Bristol.
Also present were five Christian charities who work with many churches in Bristol and the surrounding region
● Transforming Lives for Good – Early intervention coaching for primary school children
● Kintsugi Hope – Mental health courses for teenagers
● Kids Matter – Parenting courses for disadvantaged families
● Home for Good – Mobilising churches to foster, adopt, or offer supported lodging
● Safe Families – Connecting isolated families with local volunteers
The general atmosphere of the event was hopeful, with church leaders taking the opportunity to hear from different parts of the city, discuss the issues and brainstorm solutions.
Looking ahead, many agreed that churches must adopt 'joined-up approaches' to most effectively support children and young people in the city through community-based collaboration, specialisation, and signposting.
The morning concluded with more ideas to explore the following steps, further discussions and ways to map and organise more strategically.
"We hope that this meeting is the beginning of a conversation to inspire further and explore the collaborative role of the Bristol Church in the city" said David Barclay, Managing Partner at Good Faith.
"This gathering was a key moment for church leaders across Bristol to be encouraged and inspired to work together - both in crisis response and in investing in preventative support" said Andrew Street from Christian Action Bristol.
Hannah concluded, "I hope there's an ongoing partnership between the council and the churches into how we support children and families across the city together, and I'm looking forward to developing that."
For more information, to get involved, or to hear more about GFP's Thriving Communities work, contact
alisha.cole a_t goodfaith d_o_t org d_o_t uk