When I started my current role as the Learning & Impact Officer at the social action charity Caritas Westminster, I knew my experience at the UPEN would prove invaluable.
I worked at UPEN between June 2023 and March 2024, first as an Intern and later as the Communications and Membership Policy Officer. In those nine months, I had the pleasure of not just assisting with planning but also actively participating in numerous workshops, webinars, and events with experts from academia and government.
The academic-policy engagement environment can feel daunting and unfamiliar to newcomers, as it did to me at first. However, through observation and active listening, I gained a deeper understanding. As a researcher passionate about translating knowledge into practice, I found this field captivating, eventually inspiring me to contribute directly.
When I joined Caritas Westminster as the “research and data person,” I was eager to apply what I had learned, and I proposed a plan to integrate the charity into policy discussions by engaging with Parliamentary Inquiries and Government Consultations. Caritas’ extensive remit covers a wide range of social issues in London and Hertfordshire, including poverty, loneliness, homelessness, support for refugees and asylum seekers, domestic abuse, human trafficking, and challenges faced by people with disabilities. With such a broad network of stakeholders and rich data from our social action work, it felt natural for us to contribute meaningfully to government calls for evidence.
Leveraging Data to Influence Policy
Charities are uniquely positioned to provide valuable evidence to Parliamentary Inquiries and Government Consultations because they often hold vast amounts of data. However, many charities struggle to utilise their data beyond reporting to funders. For a faith-based charity like Caritas Westminster, with a wide network of community representatives across a large geographical area, the potential data we can collect is virtually limitless.
Churches—whether Catholic, Anglican, or other —often sit at the heart of community social action. A 2021 report from the National Churches Trust estimates that UK churches generate £55 billion in social value annually (National Churches Trust, 2021). This figure, based on HM Treasury’s Green Book (2020) and supplementary wellbeing evaluation guidance (2021), includes both direct economic contributions (such as paid staff, operational costs, repairs, and the replacement value of volunteer time) and indirect benefits (like volunteer-driven relief efforts and the wellbeing impact on community members).
While quantitative data like these figures are crucial for illustrating the third sector’s contributions, they don’t tell the whole story. Qualitative data offers rich, nuanced insights into how policies or interventions impact communities and service users. The ideal approach combines both quantitative and qualitative data. However, many charities lack the capacity or expertise to design robust data collection processes, analyse results, and report findings effectively, as their primary focus remains on service delivery.
Breaking the Cycle: From Service Provision to Policy Change
This service-oriented focus can create a cycle where immediate relief is provided without addressing the root causes of social issues. As a result, critical insights from frontline work often don’t reach policymakers, limiting the third sector’s ability to drive sustainable, systemic change.
At Caritas, we’re working to break this cycle. By strategically leveraging our data and sharing our evidence with policymakers, we aim to amplify the voices of the communities we serve. Our goal is not just to alleviate symptoms but to influence policies that tackle the underlying causes of inequality.
Reflecting on my journey from UPEN to Caritas Westminster, I see how academic-policy engagement principles can strengthen the third sector’s impact. Data isn’t just for funders; it’s a powerful tool for advocacy and change. By bridging the gap between frontline experiences and policy discussions, charities can play a pivotal role in shaping a more just and equitable society.
