A research-based initiative led by Goldsmiths, University of London, with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The programme is designed to improve the effectiveness of employers and service providers in their engagement with religion and belief diversity.
It works with influencers across employers and providers to co-produce resources and support policy-making and practice in this area.
Why the work is needed
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief in employment and the provision of services. It also places a specific Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) on NHS bodies to actively promote equality and anti-discrimination on these grounds.
Recent research also reveals that health and social care professionals and their settings are required by regulatory frameworks and professional standards to give attention to religion, belief and spirituality, but that these terms are largely undefined or operationalised (Crisp and Dinham 2019 a, b, c, d). As a result, they tend to ‘stay on the page’ and rarely translate in to practice, despite good intentions.
New resources and materials
Scoping events have been held in each of the nations of the UK to engage with policy leaders from a range of bodies and settings to scope the challenges and opportunities.
This has led to the development of policy/practice resources to help professionals work effectively with religion and belief diversity:
+ Religion and Belief Literacy toolkit
+ Searchable database
+ Case studies
Meet the Core Advisory Group
Adam is Co-Head of Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies and Director, Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also Professor of Religion and Belief Literacy at VID Specialised University Oslo Norway and Fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute.
Paul Matheson
Nicole is a visual artist and equalities researcher addressing the complexity of stratified Jewish identity in the West within physical and digital culture. Nicole is a collaborator with Feminist Internet and a Digital Researcher at Goldsmiths, University of London.
David Perfect
Dave Perfect worked in research management for the Equal Opportunities Commission (1988-2007) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) (2007-2020), before retiring in November 2020. He remains a Visiting Professor at the University of Chester, a position he has held since 2017, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Sussex. He previously led the EHRC's policy and research work on religion or belief issues and now runs the Religion or Belief Group which has over 500 members.
Simon Jones
Simon is Social Services Performance and Information Officer within Swansea Council. He primarily works in health, social care, and voluntary sector services within Wales. He's worked occasionally at a national level in Wales, and has a broad experience of policymaking within Wales.
Boyd is the Coordinator for Northern Ireland Humanists, the section bringing together all of Humanists UK’s members and supporters in Northern Ireland. Before he came to Humanists UK, he was an organiser for event around public understanding of science, and founding chair of the group Atheist NI. He regularly features on the radio discussing Northern Ireland Humanists’ current campaigns and priorities, and is a trainer for both Humanist School Speaking and Non-Religious Pastoral Care.
A research-based initiative led by Goldsmiths, University of London, with support from the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
The programme is designed to improve the effectiveness of employers and service providers in their engagement with religion and belief diversity.
It works with influencers across employers and providers to co-produce resources and support policy-making and practice in this area.
Why the work is needed
The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion and belief in employment and the provision of services. It also places a specific Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) on NHS bodies to actively promote equality and anti-discrimination on these grounds.
Recent research also reveals that health and social care professionals and their settings are required by regulatory frameworks and professional standards to give attention to religion, belief and spirituality, but that these terms are largely undefined or operationalised (Crisp and Dinham 2019 a, b, c, d). As a result, they tend to ‘stay on the page’ and rarely translate in to practice, despite good intentions.
New resources and materials
Scoping events have been held in each of the nations of the UK to engage with policy leaders from a range of bodies and settings to scope the challenges and opportunities.
This has led to the development of policy/practice resources to help professionals work effectively with religion and belief diversity:
+ Religion and Belief Literacy toolkit
+ Searchable database
+ Case studies
Meet the Core Advisory Group
Adam is Co-Head of Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies and Director, Faiths & Civil Society Unit at Goldsmiths, University of London. He is also Professor of Religion and Belief Literacy at VID Specialised University Oslo Norway and Fellow of the Westminster Abbey Institute.