Purpose of faith audits

Faith audits identify and describe the wide ranging and positive contributions that faith organisations and groups make to community life, The audit also identifies opportunities for further contributions that could make.  It can show how faith groups contribute significantly towards strategic objectives of local authorities and other public bodies. It also demonstrates the contribution faith groups make to other voluntary and community organisations, many of whom are unaware of the social support faith groups offer.

Faith groups help promote community cohesion and encourage volunteering.  In this way it will contribute towards the strategic objectives of local authorities and other public bodies, including targets in Local Area Agreements, which bring together all sectors concerned with promoting the well being of the community.

Ideally audits should be supported by the main Christian denominations and other diverse faith groups in each area. Additionally, an audit should have support from local faith networks e.g. faith for a, local councils of voluntary service and/or rural community councils, as well as local authorities.

Faithnetsouthwest’s faith in Action report (download reference) is an example of a faith audit that we conducted across the south west region.  we are keen to encourage morel locally based audits, to show more detail of what faith groups are doing locally.  At present faith audit is being conducted in South Gloucestershire (link to South Gloucestershire Faith Forum section) and an audit is being planned in Bath and North East Somerset (link to BANES Faith Forum section). The possibility of conducting a faith audit is currently being discussed in a number of other local areas.  The Government Office for the South West is currently encouraging local authorities to consider supporting a faith audit in their area.

What kind of activities are included in audits

• Providing any kind of social support to the local community
• Making buildings available for local community groups and for other social support activities
• Providing services, including tendering for public services
• Leading issue based campaigns e.g. social, environmental and justice issues with local, national or international significance
• Contributions to the cultural life of South Gloucestershire
• Contributing and responding to strategic plans, initiatives and partnership work that are the responsibility of the South Gloucestershire Partnership and its constituent partners
• Volunteering contribution to other activities

Benefits of faith audits

• A database can be created form the information provided by faith groups
• It encourages networking between faith communities, as they can more easily see what activities they have in common
• It makes it possible to demonstrate the financial significance and implications of faith based activity e.g. :
  
  • Sources of funding for faith based activities including S106 planning gain opportunities
  • how many hours of support are provided by faith group volunteers
  • Tendering for services
  • Value of faith based activities
  • Faith communities’ own resources
• Identify new opportunities for faith based activity in South Gloucestershire
• Raise awareness of public bodies and voluntary sector / community organisations about the contribution made by faith communities and improve dialogue
• Identify any further issues

Methodology

Key elements of a faith audit should include:

• A questionnaire based survey of faith organisations and groups
• Follow up phone and face to face interviews as far as is practical, to maximise responses
• Case studies illustrating the range of support provided.
• A Presentation on findings to key strategic
• Production of a final report setting out findings, opportunities for further faith based activity and recommendations for further action and policy development

For more information on faith audits, contact Faithnetsouthwest.