|PIC1|When Poole Council approached the local churches with a challenge, they were ready to respond. “If you’re serious about working to bring healing and restoration in people’s lives”, the council asked, “what can you do to help children who have been adopted or fostered and who often face a significant amount of stress due to the uncertain start to their lives?” The churches, working under the banner of Faithworks Poole, thought and prayed about the issue and came up with a response.

After raising £50,000 as their share of the start up and ongoing costs of the project, a part time worker was employed just a few weeks ago. Her remit is to support fostered and adopted children by offering them mentoring and advice. She also works alongside the children’s new families and, where appropriate, their birth families to give them the back up they need. A small step towards creating the stability they need to thrive.

The forum that gave birth to this creative conversation and coalition was ‘The Poole Partnership’ – what is know as a ‘Local Strategic Partnership’ (LSP), now mandatory for all local authorities. Through its LSP every council is required by central government to meet, listen to and work with as wide a spectrum of local community organisations as possible.

As Jonathan Martin, the chairman of Faithworks Poole and member of the Poole Partnership Steering Group, puts it “it’s amazing what you can accomplish when the different players in the community all sit down in the same room and talk.” Jonathan is a man who wears many hats; as well as his role with Faithworks Poole and the LSP, he acts as chaplain to the local authority and is also minister to a small United Reformed Church.

|AD|The LSP steering group, which is made up of representatives from all sections of the community in Poole (business, education, healthcare, faith groups etc.), is designed to give input to the local council as it formulates its strategy for the ongoing development of the area.

Through involvement with The Poole Partnership the local churches enjoy a very active and effective role in the shaping of their community. For example, Faithworks Poole has also recently embarked upon a programme of care for vulnerable elderly people in the town.

Their involvement with The Poole Partnership has meant that the project’s volunteers have been able to be trained by the Pensions Agency, giving them a much deeper understanding of the statutory help available to their clients. Without the partnership, this link, and the resulting breadth of service, would probably never have been possible.

The churches’ involvement with The Poole Partnership is good news for everyone – it creates a genuine ‘win, win, win’ situation. The local authority win because they gain a greater understanding of the needs of the community and can, therefore, do more to meet those needs. The churches’ win because their understanding of community needs and workable solutions deepens and matures; they can have real influence on the council’s policy decisions as well as finding ways in which they can practically help to meet local needs. And the people of Poole win because services are improved, community is built and individual aspirations are achieved. As the Bible itself puts it ‘People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.’ (Proverbs 27:17).



[Rev Steve Chalke MBE is the founder of Oasis Trust, Oasis Media, Parentalk, Faithworks Movement and is senior minister of Christ Church & Upton, the Church.co.uk centre, Waterloo, London. He was ordained as a Baptist Minister in 1981, having studied at Spurgeon’s Theological College in London. Steve has presented his own television series for ITV and BBC as well as a regular show on Radio 4. He is also the author of over 30 books, and was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List 2004 for his services to social inclusion.]