Affordable Housing

CAWS wishes to see more affordable housing made available, particularly in rural areas and encourages the use of church land for housing. See the publications page for a booklet on affordable housing.

_________________________________________________________________

Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice Advisory Group has focussed on penal affairs and restorative justice. They have organised significant conferences on these issues in 2007 and 2008.

_________________________________________________________________

Economic Development and Regeneration

Promoting sustainable economic activity and pastoral care for working people through:
Black Country Urban & Industrial Mission (BCUIM)
Chaplaincy for Agricultural & Rural Life (CARL)
Faith at Work in Worcestershire (FWW)

_________________________________________________________________

Environmental issues

The Church of England’s aim is to shrink the Church’s carbon emissions to 20% of 2005 levels by 2050. See Shrinking the footprint for more details.

CAWS and the social responsibility staff have been

• Informing parishes on environmental issues and encouraging good practice.
• Assisting the diocese in the development of an environmental strategy.
• Working with diocesan staff to reduce the environmental impact of the diocesan offices.

Work on environmental issues is no longer confined to CAWS. Every diocesan body has to take responsibility for including environmental considerations in their decision making.  Synod in March 2008 approved an environmental strategy for the diocese (more detail).

At its meeting in April 2009, the Bishop's Council approved the terms of reference for a new group, the Environmental Challenge & Oversight Group, which aims to:

• to be creative and far-reaching in helping diocesan and parochial bodies develop solutions to the challenges of the strategy and put environmental considerations at the heart of decision making;
• to have oversight of the strategy implementation and to challenge and confront areas of resistance;
• to seek for the diocese to lead the way in demonstrating the values it espouses.

Synod also agreed to match the national CO2 reduction targets which the Bishop’s Council this year updated to the revised national target of saving 80% by 2050.

_________________________________________________________________

Health and Healing

A small group is able to respond to government policy documents, inform parishes about health policy issues and organises occasional training and support. They promote the Church's ministry of healing across the diocese.

_________________________________________________________________

Information

The Social Responsibility Officer can be approached for information on a range of social issues and for statistical information, including the Index of Multiple Deprivation, in relation to local areas within the diocese.

_________________________________________________________________

Local Planning

The Social Responsibility Officer co-ordinates diocesan responses to local and regional planning consultations.

_________________________________________________________________

Migrant workers

Working in partnership with statutory agencies, deaneries and parishes to try to improve conditions and pastoral and social support for migrant workers.

_________________________________________________________________

Personal Relationships

Recent work has focussed on Carers and production of a resources pack - see the publications page

_________________________________________________________________

Poverty

Encouraging local projects in areas of multiple deprivation and advising on applications to the Church Urban Fund.

_________________________________________________________________

Racial Justice

A small group has surveyed staff and clergy training needs (November 2006) and and has run training for clergy and staff..

_________________________________________________________________

Visitors and Tourism

The Visitor Strategy Task Group is working on recommendations to help churches develop a ministry of welcome for visitors. The Churches Tourism Association and other dioceses have made some useful resources available on the internet. The task group has identified some resources that they believe particularly useful and you can download their recommendations from here. Further useful links are on the tourism page of our links collection.

Tim Bridges, author of Churches of Worcestershire and Churches of the Black Country, has prepared guidelines to help churches prepare information for visitors. Download PDF

_________________________________________________________________