Following on from a local city-wide conference in May and in partnership with the William Temple Foundation, Derby’s faith communities are running a follow up online event.

Building the New Normal will bring together faith communities and local authorities from around the UK to explore ways of developing and sustaining new partnerships to deliver solutions to local problems.

The event will focus on "The Derby Way" and explore the good, the bad and the ugly of partnership working between faith organisations and local authorities and unpack the lessons learned from local exemplar projects.

It will be of interest to faith communities and public service providers such as local authorities, public health bodies and Police around the UK.

Speakers include the Rt. Hon Stephen Timms MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Faith & Society, Rachel North, Deputy Chief Executive & Strategic Director, Communities and Place for Derby City Council and Professor Chris Baker, author of Keeping the Faith: Partnerships between faith groups and local authorities during and beyond the pandemic.

The event aims to share valuable experience, impacts and best practice gained during the Covid emergency and contribute to the dialogue around developing ‘a new normal’ of national and local government working in partnership with faith groups.

Geoff Sweeney, Director of the Multi Faith Centre said, 

We know that there is a strong willingness from all faith communities to move their pandemic response models from providing emergency support to becoming active partners in the recovery phase and beyond. We hope this event will help understand the conditions through which partnership working can be strengthened and sustained so that faith communities can play an increasingly vital role in tackling and responding to social challenges."

Rachel North, Deputy Chief Executive & Strategic Director for Derby City Council comments 

The ‘New Normal’ is a phrase which has become part of the national vocabulary in the last 12 months or so and at the Council we are fully embracing what that can mean for us in terms of our work in the community and with our partners. Something that has become very clear in the pandemic response is that we do work ‘Better Together’ and we are reinventing processes and procedures in many areas of council life to fundamentally change how we deliver our services through partnership and collaboration."

Professor Chris Baker, Chief Executive of the William Temple Foundation commented

The wider world, but especially young people, is recognising the importance of shared values as the new basis for resilient and innovative partnerships. Both local authorities and faith groups need to be ahead of this curve if they are going to inspire grassroots participation in a post-pandemic world."

The event is co-produced by Multi Faith Centre, Derby Cathedral, Community Action Derby, Derby City Council and the William Temple Foundation.

The online event will be on Wednesday 1st December 2-4pm. To find out more and register for the event visit the Eventbrite website.