Useful websites

EMPLOYMENT/TRAINING
SAFE Choices Programme

Summary
Choices is a practical outreach tool for churches. It is a course which helps people on low incomes gain confidence, take control of their lives and make life-changing choices.

Brief Description of organisation
SAFE has been delivering statutory programmes and supporting churches for 15 years. SAFE work with those facing barriers including worklessness, depression and social deprivation. We bring hope and changed perspective, and help people to move forward in tangible ways including mental health, work and flourishing.

Start date of Organisation
1995

No. of churches/ groups supported
7

Brief Description
wanting to change. It can be community (including the depressed, workless, stuck and isolated) youth (16-20, NEET) or specialist support (eg homeless, ex-offenders).
What?: The course (developed from 15 years’ experience) is 2 days for 5 weeks, plus follow up coaching. It empowers and motivates people. It involves group and individual work, fun, shared lunches and is very relational. Its impact has been validated by rigorous university research.
How?: Local facilitators are thoroughly equipped through a 4 stage process. At Stage 1 facilitators watch and experience the programme. Stage 2 is looking at background and theory. Stage 3 involves joint training with an experienced facilitator. Stage 4 is doing sole training but with ongoing support.

Expected Results

• Each course will have approximately 8-12 participants. (Churches often do 1-2 courses per year, but there is no limit)
• Internal change including increased confidence and selfesteem, improved anxiety and depression, and increased
• resilience against adversity
• External change including flourishing and enjoying life, and gaining employment
• Community impact including targeting the hard to reach and increasing people’s social capital.

Advantages to church

• Church members are equipped in a practical way to love and service, engage with needy people, and will be stretched in their faith
• Choices is a bridge to the local community through good reputation, as people experience the course, and as other agencies see the results
• It is also an entry point for people into the wider church community, as relationships are built and some progress in their spiritual journey
• Churches can choose their focus: community youth or specialist, so that what they do fits their priorities and passions.

Services provided by national organisation
SAFE provide resources including a very comprehensive facilitator manual and candidate manuals. The process is clearly mapped out, ensuring quality of provision and ease of use for non-professional facilitators. SAFE equip facilitators as follows:

Stage 1: 10 day course where facilitator watches a course. This can be done on site or visiting another church
Stage 2: 2 day course off the job, often in Southampton
Stage 3: 10 day course jointly led by an experienced facilitator who is sent to your site
Stage 4: on going monitoring (2 days), regular facilitator meetings (2 days) and phone support

Financial cost to church
Stage 1: £6000 for course if delivered on your site, FREE if you visit another site
Stage 2: £200 per person
Stage 3: £3000 for each course, covering facilitator costs
Stage 4: £1000 annually
Cost of Facilitator and Candidate Manuals (£10 each)
These are actual costs, and currently SAFE work in partnership with the church, as they seek to raise the funds to meet these costs.

Non-Financial Requirements for church

• Venue for training
• Equipment for course including DVDs flip charts projector sound system etc (full list available)
• Lunches and refreshments
• Volunteers: each course needs 2 facilitators, set up, admin, sometimes additional learner support, post course coaching, and prayer support.

Contact Details
Andy Foreman
Unit 304 Solent Business Centre, 343 Millbrook Road West, Southampton, SO15 0HW
Tel: 023 8070 2222             andrew.foreman@safe.org.uk    www.safe.org.uk

FOODBANKS
The Trussell Trust

Summary
Starting a foodbank is a great way to help those in crisis in your own community, by providing boxes of nutritionally balanced food and support. The foodbank collects tinned and dried food from the public at supermarkets, churches, schools and other local groups. The Trussell Trust will provide you with a complete toolkit, training and support for running a foodbank project.

Brief Description of organisation
A Christian charity, restoring dignity and reviving hope by launching life- changing community based projects at home and overseas

Start date of Organisation
Charity1997
foodbank 2000
Network 2004

No. of churches/ groups currently supported
69 foodbank projects launched as at Sep10

Brief Description
A foodbank is a simple and unique concept designed to help individuals in crisis by providing free emergency food for 3 days (10 balanced meals), which is the period we assessed as the minimum time it takes for the appropriate welfare agencies to be in a position to assist. This period can be extended if necessary. Food is collected from the public as they shop at supermarkets, from churches, local groups and schools, and this is “banked” in a store. Food vouchers obtained from front line Care Professionals such as Social Services, Health Visitors, Probation Officers, Church Pastoral Workers are exchanged for emergency food at a foodbank centre cafe manned by caring volunteers.

Expected Results
Establised foodbanks can expect to feed up to 3000 people a year, depending on the size of town or borough supported. Clients will share their experience with trained volunteers who can signpost them to additional services to break the cycle of poverty and change lives. Befriended clients often volunteer with the foodbank and find they are loved and valued and many come to Christ.

Advantages to church
The Trussell Trust provides:

• A foodbank operating manual in electronic format on CD ROM. This will include all the Flowcharted Processes, Forms and guidance necessary to set up and run a food bank
• At least 3 days training for selected project staff, based on the manual, to prepare them to set up the project
• Additional project support or training at later stage to eliminate areas of difficulty or to walk through particular processes
• A help-line service.

This ensures a very high probability of a successful project run by people with little experience but a good degree of motivation

Services provided by national organisation

• Co-ordination of the foodbank Network to share experience and best practice and to provide encouragement and support
• An annual quality audit of your foodbank procedures and guidance on development, providing a written report for your Trustees
• An annual conference
• Standard look and feel resources (banners leaflets etc) at reduced cost
• A web-based network forum to share information, fundraising ideas etc. 

Financial cost to church
Churches are expected to make a donation (currently £1500) towards Trussell Trust expenses supporting your project and a small annual donation towards the ongoing costs of the network support. Local project costs vary depending on the need to pay staff (P/T) and rent warehouse, cafe area. Estimated annual costs range from £10k to £18k including the donation above.

Non-Financial Requirements for church

• Small office with IT and telephone
• Food-store/warehouse – year 1 size of single garage
• Cafe area – enough for 3 tables with 4 chairs, and small kitchen/coffee making area.
• Initial team of about 12 volunteers, some with particular skills like fundraising, admin, coordination etc
• As a community project we envisage this being provided by partnering with other local churches so Christians are seen to be working together and no one church has to bear the burden.

Contact Details
Jeremy Ravn, Foodbank Network Manager
The Trussell Trust, St Michael’s Community Centre, St Michael’s Road, SALISBURY SP2 9LE
01722 427110            Jeremy.ravn@trusselltrust.org            www.trusselltrust.org

HOMELESS/HOUSING
DePaul Nightstop UK

Summary
Nightstop is the provision of emergency accommodation for single homeless 16-25 year olds exclusively in the homes of approved volunteers. The host offers a bed for the night, meals, an opportunity for the young person to bath and wash their clothes and a friendly listening ear. Depaul Nightstop UK offers guidance and consultancy services, concerning the processes and the spectrum of issues involved in setting up and operating a local scheme.

Brief Description of organisation
Umbrella body for the development of new services and support to existing Nightstop services
across the UK. Nightstop is registered trademark of DePaul Nightstop UK.

Start date of Organisation
Established in 1987 merged with Depaul UK in 2007

No. of churches/ groups supported
Currently 48 affiliated Nightstop services

Brief Description
Nightstop is the provision of emergency accommodation, in the homes of approved volunteers, for young homeless people aged between 16 and 25 years old. Each Nightstop service agrees to work within Quality Standards and Affiliation Criteria of DNUK. Support is offered by DNUK staff and the existing network of services through.

Expected Results
Across the UK last year over 6800 Nightstop bednights were offered to homeless young people by volunteer hosts. In 2009 the network of dedicated volunteers donated 103,000 hours of their time to Nightstop services. The concept is based around Nightstop being responsive to local need and growing to meet that need. Some services operate with 3 or 4 hosting ‘families’ while others have more than 20. The use of Nightstop is very dependent on partnership working with other agencies (acting as referralagencies to the Nightstop service) and the alternative accommodation and support services available for young people in each locality.

Many Nightstop’s also offer a range of additional services to young people such as: Crashpad, Supported Lodgings, educational sessions in schools and befriending services.

Advantages to church
Nightstop offers a way of involving community members in providing a very hands-on local service to local homeless young people. Those who can offer a spare room can do so and others not able to do that can help in other ways such as raising money, driving young people to placements and by being a trustee or other voluntary role. Basically there is a role for everyone. Homelessness, like child protection, is everyone’s responsibility.

Services provided by national organisation

• DNUK offers support with setting up and running a service, providing resources such as relevant policy documents and a training pack for volunteers.
• Additionally there are opportunities for Nightstops to meet each other at Forum meetings, an Annual Event, a regular newsletter and regular email information.
• A free database is available to support the collection of national and local statistics and the management of Nightstop information.
• Each service has a named key worker.
• There is no helpline Advice but information is available on all operational and governance matters. DNUK ensures all services operate to national standards and will assess on
• a regular basis providing reports of the Quality Standards Assessment visit and suggestions for improving practice.

Financial cost to church
The cost varies as a Nightstop may operate with or without staff depending on the need in the area and the commitment the organisation wishes to make. Some Nightstops have a small budget to cover basic expenses only while others employ several staff and have budgets of several hundred thousands of pounds. Each case would need to be discussed to ascertain a realistic budget for a Nightstop service in any specific area. It is possible that Nightstop will fit very comfortably alongside existing services run by the church and Nightstop may cost very little extra to operate. It is worth exploring partnership working with other agencies where the cost and supply of resources can be shared.

Non-Financial Requirements for church
The biggest non financial resource is of course the range of volunteers needed to run the service. Office space and office equipment may also be supplied at little or no cost.

As above it may be possible for the church to supply volunteers and an office space and telephone costs for example and then to find other local partners who can supply the money to pay for staffing and to cover staff and volunteer expenses etc.

Alternatively a group of churches together may wish to fully resource a service between them to cover all the relevant parishes.

Contact Details
Susan Trenerry, National Manager
Resource Centre, Oxford Street, Whitley Bay
0191 2536161           Susan.Trenerry@depauluk.org                 www.depaulnightstopuk.org