I wanted to put down a bit of context for the survey that is currently out for salaried children’s, youth and families workers (if you have not seen it or completed it yet, please do – link at the end of this blog post).
So, why is this being done?
A group was brought together by the Bishop of Leicester to think about some of the challenges faced by salaried children’s, youth and families workers in the church. I was then tasked with putting a proposal together for a piece of work that would help us find out what was going on – not anecdotally, but through connecting with as many salaried workers as possible to explore the following ::
- What are the key challenges, opportunities and barriers impacting salaried CFY workers?
- Can we map current numbers and identify the “terms” under which they are employed (e.g. locally, deanery, commissioned, licensed, full time, part time, permanent, external funding dependent etc)?
- Is it possible to get a “sense” of longevity (or not) – likely to be anecdotal from well established DYOs / CWAs in Church of England and regional leads for other denominations.
- What are the trends and are there any gaps in provision?
- How can we hear and record both good and poor practice employment stories?
To begin to answer these questions, we nee clarity about the following ::
Our numbers. How many salaried children, youth and families workers are there in the Church of England?
Our practice. Of those we identify as being employed by the local parish, how many are licensed / commissioned or “recognised” in some way by their Diocese or denomination?
Our training. What are we currently offering through our institutions that informs and equips parishes to support and line manage workers?
Our care. Are we, on the basis that a “worker is worth their wages” providing the terms and conditions for these salaried workers to thrive in ministry?
So, the survey was born. It is just part of the picture, but – the most vital part – giving us, I hope, a picture of the reality on the ground for salaried children’s, youth and families workers. This is not a small number. The larger the cohort that complete the survey, the greater the evidence we have at our disposal to celebrate all that is happening – and, explore ways in which we can work towards every salaried worker being able to flourish in ministry.
As of today (Friday 1st February) 435 have filled in the survey!
Please, if you haven’t completed it yet, grab a cup of coffee – take 15 minutes out – and fill it in.
Survey Link :: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3L5WD7X
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