Five years of Faith in Partnership Week
Every September since 2022, FaithAction has used Faith in Partnership Week to put faith and statutory collaboration in front of parliamentarians, councils and the communities doing the work on the ground. With Faith in Partnership Week 2026 only days away, here’s a look back at what the first four years brought about.
The first Faith in Partnership Week
5th-9th September 2022
Keeping the Faith 2.0
Professor Chris Baker of Goldsmiths, University of London launched research tracking how the pandemic had reshaped partnerships between faith groups and local authorities. Paul Scully MP, then Minister for Faith, spoke at the launch, with a panel discussion chaired by Sir Stephen Timms MP.
The Faith Covenant: What, Why, How
A new primer set out the case studies, principles and first steps behind the Faith Covenant, published at a point when 24 local authorities had already signed up.
First In, Last Out
Commissioned by NHS England, this report, published as part of Faith in Partnership Week, captured the part faith groups played in the pandemic response and what that could mean for the new Integrated Care Systems.
Building the evidence base
11th-15th September 2023
A first for combined authorities
The West Midlands Combined Authority became the first combined authority in the country to sign the Faith Covenant, taking the model beyond individual councils. Alongside them, the remaining councils in the West Midlands region not already signed up to a Faith Covenant, showed their commitment by signing the Covenant themselves.
Faith and Society: opportunities and challenges
Professor Jagbir Jhutti-Johal and Professor Jim McManus joined Sir Stephen Timms MP for an online debate on what’s needed to make cross-sector partnership work in Britain.
Out in the community
The week also saw the launch of three evaluation reports, produced by Coventry University, highlighting the success of innovative projects delivered by faith groups with national government and local authorities.
A decade of the Covenant
7th-11th September 2024
Faith for a Safe Start
Chaired by the then Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullally, this panel discussion examined how faith communities and the NHS can work together to close gaps in maternity care for Black and minority ethnic women, with NHS England’s Wendy Olayiwola among the speakers.
Faith Covenant Forum
Ten years on from Birmingham City Council becoming the first signatory, the termly Forum celebrated the Faith Covenant and a network that had grown to 32 signatory areas.
Faith for the Future breakfast
Faith Minister Lord Khan closed the week at a breakfast reception, telling attendees he was committed to hearing from as many faith leaders as possible and calling faith organisations vital to communities of all faiths and none.
Evaluating what a decade built
8th-12th September 2025
Launching the Faith Covenant evaluation
FaithAction and the APPG on Faith and Society launched the first full evaluation of the Faith Covenant. APPG chair Zöe Franklin MP and founding chair Sir Stephen Timms MP were joined by Covenant-area representatives from Brighton & Hove, Brent and the West Midlands, alongside evaluator Dr Dan Range sharing on how the evaluation was going to proceed.
A voice in the social care review
A new stream of work opened to feed faith groups’ perspective into Baroness Casey’s review of adult social care.
Family Hubs and social prescribing
The ChurchWorks Commission ran a webinar on how faith groups can plug into the expanding Family Hubs programme and social prescribing. Participants were able to hear examples of how faith groups have got involved in both pieces of work, and Churchworks shared resources to help others to do the same.
As we begin our next Faith in Partnership Week on Monday, why not think how you could celebrate the fantastic work that is being done in your area.
