Continuing Professional Development for Faith Leaders, Workers and Volunteers

Pilot Programme | Advisory Group | Pilot Sites | Project Review | Trainers | Taught Content |
| Partner Organisations | Learners  | Celebration Event | Learner Experience

In 2007/08 NIACE, the UK’s leading non-governmental adult learning charity, was funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) to develop and pilot a qualification for faith leaders, workers and volunteers. The overall aim of the programme was to develop the communication, representation, safeguarding and other skills of faith leaders, workers and volunteers so that they could operate more effectively and confidently within their own communities.

In the current political climate issues of faith are highly sensitive so the project sought support from an independent Advisory Group and was underpinned by core principles. Faith community profile was an important aspect in selecting the appropriate pilot sites as were CLG priorities, geographical spread and organisations that had expressed an interest in being involved in the project. While NIACE were able to recruit a diverse and highly skilled cohort of trainers, (who also played a significant role in developing the taught content), the partner organisations recruited and supported the learners. The project concluded in March of this year with a celebration event which reflected on a very positive learner experience and laid the foundation for current developments.

Pilot Programme

Following the successful completion of the first pilot phase of the Continuing Professional Development for Faith Leaders, Workers and Volunteers project and the work to complete the accreditation of a qualification for faith community development, NIACE was commissioned by Communities and Local Government (CLG) to deliver a second phase programme of targeted pilots for faith communities. These pilots will deliver the new Faith Community Development qualification in partnership with a variety of providers including Further Education colleges, local authorities, and community adult education providers and training organisations.

The delivery model in the initial phase consisted of weekly sessions with some additional one-day weekend sessions. This reflects a standard form of delivery but was a barrier for some participants. This phase of the pilot seeks to offer a wider range of delivery models (modular sessions, blended learning or residentials) in order to evaluate impact on learner take-up and retention.

The second phase pilot sites are:

*The course will be adapted to suit specific learning needs of Chaplains

Duration

The pilots are expected to run between October 2008 and March 2009, with development work taking place in summer 2008.

Qualification

Following the successful completion of the pilot project earlier this year further work was undertaken to complete the accreditation of a qualification which has now culminated in the new Faith Community Development qualification.

The Faith Community Development course is an exciting new development that offers learners a stimulating short course of accredited purposeful learning. The course provides an opportunity to develop positive relationships with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and successful completion leads to an Award or Certificate in Faith Community Development accredited through the National Open College Network.

Interested Learners should contact Annette Williamson : Annette.Williamson@niace.org.uk, Tel: 0116 2046985

Interested Providers should contact NOCN at http://www.nocn.org.uk/products/qcf-qualifications  or complete the form below.

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Advisory Group

The Continuing Professional Development for Faith Leaders was an initiative which built on the existing relationships between DfES and a number of individual faith-based organisations. The concept of a multifaith approach to this initiative emerged and an advisory group with representatives from the major faith organisations was a positive mechanism for bringing these groups together. Additionally it was an effective method for eminent faith leaders to support purposeful development within faith communities. In order to assemble the group, individuals nominated by the DfES or recommended through organisational contacts were fully briefed about the initiative and subsequently invited to sit on the advisory board.

The group met on four occasions during the life of the pilot project and assisted in a number of ways including identifying the core areas of learning that the programme should provide and formulating a strategy for engaging with faith communities.

The Advisory Group Members for the pilots in 2007 were:

The core principles:

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Pilot Sites

The location of the pilot sites was a significant decision. The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) indicated that it would be helpful for the project to support other initiatives within an identified geographical area.

The advisory body and the consultant for faith issues advocated the involvement of interfaith groups in delivering the project. Having researched interfaith groups it was possible to map these against the location of the existing CLG initiatives which led to the following locations being identified as the pilot sites.

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CPD Review

NIACE undertook an internal review of the feedback from participants, consultants, trainers and key contacts. For further information please see the attached document.

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Trainers

The trainers were also recruited from existing NIACE networks. Trainers with the relevant teaching qualification and expertise were initially invited to attend a national briefing event before being selected to deliver training in a specific location. In some instances the pilot projects were able to identify trainers who they felt were particularly skilled in working with members of their local communities.

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Taught Content

The course programme included the following themes:

1. Legislative Context: Human rights, the law, specific laws that affect the voluntary and community sector
2. Leadership
3. Diversity and Faith: Issues relating to the local community, encouraging positive contributions to the local community
4. Voluntary Bodies: Practical implications of setting up a voluntary organisation, values and governance, planning and policy making
5. Community Development: Assessing need, engagement, participation, support and protection
6. Understand and Working with Children and Young People
7. Safeguarding Children and Child Protection
8. Organisational Finance

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Partner Organisations

The approach for identifying partner organisations was that the local interfaith groups would be central and through them the delivery of the course could take place. The response from the interfaith groups in relation to undertaking this role was mixed. In the Tower Hamlets pilot site the interfaith forum was not able to effectively support participants due to existing commitments. Fortunately an alternative Partner organisation was identified to take the project forward successfully. In Leicester the partner organisation also found it difficult to support the project as expected however in this case of an alternative could not be found. The Sheffield and Bradford pilot sites were both collaborations between two organisations.

Leicester

Sheffield

Bradford

London, Tower Hamlets

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Learners

Of the total 49 participants at the four sites 32 are male and 17 are female.

Of the 17 female participants, 9 are Muslim, 2 Hindu, 5 Christian, 1 of undisclosed faith.

Of the 32 male participants, 20 are Muslim, 4 Hindu, 1 Sikh, 6 Christian, 1 Agnostic.

There is 1 participant under the age of 20 who is a Muslim.

There are 6 participants between the ages of 20-25, of whom 4 are Muslims.

There are 6 participants between the ages of 26-29, of whom 4 are Muslims.

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Celebration Event

Bill Rammell MP, Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education and Parmjit Dhanda MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Community Cohesion, attended the event to celebrate the achievement of all the participants involved in the project.

The event took place in Sheffield on 19 March 2008 at the Pakistan Muslim Centre, the Sheffield pilot site, and was very well attended by over 100 guests including the Bishop of Sheffield and many eminent faith leaders from across the country.

The event was chaired by the Director of NIACE, Alan Tuckett OBE.

It commenced with an opening address by Bill Rammell, interviews with seven participants and an address by Parmjit Dhanda. The participants were presented with certificates by the two government ministers.

Click to enlarge

Photographs from the celebration event courtesy of www.HollisPhotography.com

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Learner Experience

The participants have found the course very rewarding and are grateful for the support offered by the key contacts who often contributed beyond their contractual obligations.

“that it was brilliant that we have different faiths sat round the table accruing information from each other that would enhance how the needs of community members can be addressed”. Quote from a participant.

The Continuing Professional Development course was very well received by the participants. The course has started a process with participants that has lead to greater community engagement.

The consistent message from the participants was that they have enjoyed being involved in stimulating discussions and they have found all the themes both useful and valuable.

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This programme is funded by the  Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and Communities and Local Government.

© NIACE 2008

Pictures: courtesy of Dave Sutton-Jones REACT Multi Media, unless otherwise stated