2013 Publications FAITH IN ACTION In Middlesbrough unemployment is twice the national average and child poverty is the third highest in the country. This report summarises the findings of a survey that quantifies the scale and range of social action undertaken by Christian organisations in the area. Click here to read more BUILDING AN ETHICAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM: THE ROLE OF CREDIT UNIONS This briefing paper gives some background to the problem of payday lending and the role credit unions can play in building a more ethical financial system. Click here to read more A THEOLOGICAL REFLECTION ON ASSET-BASED COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT This paper by Rev Al Barrett, a church leader working in Birmingham, explores how methods of asset-based community development resonate deeply with Christian theology and practice. Click here to read more TACKLING POVERTY IN ENGLAND: AN ASSET-BASED APPROACH This paper introduces the concept of asset-based community development (ABCD) – an approach to development that uses the skills and capacities of local people to build stronger, more sustainable communities. Click here to read more HUNGRY FOR MORE: HOW CHURCHES CAN ADDRESS THE ROOT CAUSES OF FOOD POVERTY This report reflects on church-based responses to food poverty, exploring the degree to which churches are supporting people in crisis situations, or helping to tackle the underlying causes of those crises. Click here to read more NATIONAL AND DIOCESAN POVERTY STATISTICS This reference paper aggregates Church of England parish data to provide national and diocesan-level poverty statistics based on 2013 data, using summary charts and tables to make data usable to people conducting their own research. Click here to read more POVERTY IN NUMBERS 2013 This short paper is a summary of the key findings from CUF’s updated Poverty Lookup Tool. Click here to read more THE HUMAN COST OF WELFARE REFORM This study looks beyond the financial impact of welfare reforms to the broader impact that they are having on people’s everyday lives, and considers how churches can best support those affected, using key findings from interviews with 10 organisations. Click here to read more IT ALL ADDS UP: THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT OF WELFARE REFORM By telling the story of two hypothetical households, this paper explores the cumulative impact of welfare reforms undertaken by the Coalition Government on household finances. Click here to read more GUIDE TO WELFARE REFORMS 2010-2017 When they came to power in 2010, the Coalition Government undertook radical reform of our welfare system – this paper explores the most significant changes made between the start of the Coalition and April 2013. Click here to read more CUF’S RESPONSE TO THE CHILD POVERTY MEASUREMENT CONSULTATION This outlines CUF’s serious concerns about the lack of effective transparency inevitable in any composite index, in relation to those used to measure child poverty in the UK. Click here to read more THE CHURCH IN ACTION: A NATIONAL SURVEY OF CHURCH-LED SOCIAL ACTION The aim of this paper is to quantify the scale of Anglican church-led social action in England, to explore the types of activities that parishes run and to identify the social needs they help to address in the current financial climate. Click here to read more