The Programme

The programme will research, develop, pilot and disseminate effective methods of enabling faith-based organisations to demonstrate their capacity as competent and effective deliverers and partners in the fields of community development, community cohesion, regeneration and social action, without compromising their own core purpose and values. It will also demonstrate their ability to engage as sound partners in policy forums such as Local Strategic Partnerships.

It will do this by piloting, testing and disseminating a quality assurance framework that will:

• assist faith based organisations to reach at least a minimum recognised standard (kitemark) and from there to continuously improve
• demonstrate to potential partners and funders the standards the organisation operates to, including assurance about equal opportunities, the appropriate use of funds and the contribution towards cohesion in the neighbourhood or community
• assure users and participants in the organisation of the standards they can expect
• provide staff and volunteers with a clear evaluation of where they are and what they need to do to move forward.