Early Intervention by the faith sector can repair broken Britain

Future governments need look no further than faith organisations to see the kind of best practices that are going to help deliver solutions to repair broken Britain, Iain Duncan Smith told the Charities Parliament on Wednesday.

"We need to change the culture in government," he said. "I think the tide has turned. The time when the government thinks that there is some sort of threat from an organisation because they have a belief and a strong faith must now be seen as an absurdity.

"What they should be interested in is the outputs. What exactly do they do, do they do it well, do they achieve things? That should be the be all and end all of the requirement."

The former Conservative Party leader speaking on ‘Breakthrough Britain: The role of faith inspired and voluntary agencies in mending broken Britain’ singled out the Christian charity, Save The Family, which helps homeless families stay together, as an example of an organisation delivering the kind of best practice that needs to inform government policy as well as command their funding.

Steve Chalke, founder of the Charities Parliament, praised what he called "the far sighted approach" taken by Mr Duncan Smith and Centre for Social Justice of which he is a director.

"In times when the failures of our political system are so evident, it is heartening to hear such a deep sense of trust expressed in the vital role of the third sector, and specifically the exemplary work of churches and other faith groups, in achieving the goals that continue to elude successive governments."

The next Charities Parliament event will take place on Monday June 22 when Mr Chalke will chair ‘Finding Hope: Restoring Trust in Politics and national Life'. In response to public concern over MPs’ expenses, the evening will provide an opportunity to debate the current crisis of confidence in our parliamentary system with Christians involved in Westminster.

MPs Andy Reed and Alistair Burt, Bishop of Rochester and member of the House of Lords the Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, and Times religious correspondent Ruth Gledhill are among the speakers on a panel that will address questions from the audience.

On the web: www.faithworks.info/charitiesparliament