Loneliness Strategy: Consultation Response

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport launched a consultation in June 2018 to inform their approach to developing a Loneliness Strategy. This paper presents our response to the questions posed in the consultation, drawing on our experience of delivering and facilitating initiatives that build connections and deepen relationships within communities across England.

Key themes within our response include:

• Churches are actively and extensively engaged in tackling loneliness.
• Loneliness is best tackled obliquely, by engaging people in activities they are interested in, or helping them find opportunities to help or support others.
• Intergenerational activities are particularly effective in reducing loneliness and giving people a renewed sense of belonging and purpose.
• Asking ‘how can we promote healthy social interaction at every opportunity?’ and exploring ‘relational by design’ approaches across a range of policy areas is key.