PRINCIPLES & RECOMMENDATIONS
Through a series of workshops and discussions we have developed a proposal for four core Principles of Dignified Food Support, each illustrated by a range of suggestions for how these might be implemented in practice:
Welcoming - providing an inclusive and welcoming space; minimising barriers to access; providing spaces to share food
Transparent – offering clarity about what those providing and receiving support can expect; providing information about the community food project, how it works and why
Person-centred – ensuring that interactions are respectful and compassionate; including appropriate safeguarding culture and practices; where possible, offering a choice of food (or the provision of vouchers and hardship grants)
Empowering - offering opportunities for staff, volunteers and members to share their views, so that people with direct and relevant experience contribute and are involved in decision-making; creating opportunities for members to contribute in a range of ways (money, time, skills, etc.)
This work draws on previous research and initiatives, including Nourish Scotland's Dignity in Practice Project and Carl Walker’s work on Hunger Trauma, as well as practical learning from organisations including Sussex Community Development Association, Sufra NW London, Your Local Pantry and Church Action on Poverty.
Our recommendations are not intended to be prescriptive (what works well for one project, may not be a good fit for another), but instead provide a menu of options so that collectively we can work towards more dignified practice for all.
We acknowledge staff and volunteers within community support organisations are already under immense pressure and are at high risk of burnout. Our aim is not to add another long list of things to do, which is why so many of our recommendations focus on staff and volunteer wellbeing.
Feel free to adopt the ones that work for you, and leave the rest - or try a few and see what works. We are currently developing a Dignity Toolkit, to help you work through this process. Crucially, what follows is also offered as a first proposal. Our aim is to respect, gather and share existing knowledge around dignified practice. We are actively seeking partnerships with community food support projects to share their wisdom, pilot, evaluate and further develop the proposed strategies. Complete our simple form to find out more.
DIGNITY PRINCIPLES
WELCOMING
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Providing a welcoming and inclusive space is crucial to ensure that staff, volunteers, and community members feel comfortable and respected.
An inclusive space is one that treats everyone as an individual, recognising that users of community food support may have experienced hunger trauma, and that they may face multiple barriers to accessing support, especially if they belong to a marginalised community.
You could:
• Think about how to make your space warm, welcoming and inviting.
• Take active steps to show people from marginalised communities eg. LGBTQ+ and minoritised religions that they are welcome. This could include displaying a pride flag, or a statement somewhere to show that people of all backgrounds and religions are welcome.
• Encourage volunteers to learn community members’ names and provide name badges for volunteers.
• Take active steps to address accessibility requirements.
• Set a positive and respectful tone, especially with regards to community members.
• Communicate with volunteers and community members using clear, simple language that avoids unnecessary jargon.
• Translate any communications into additional languages as required.
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Providing immediate support for members should be the first and most important objective of a community food support organisation (we advocate for a Cash First approach, but this might also include providing access to advice or a hot meal). Consider how to avoid overloading new members with unnecessary processes, information, and or advice, most of which could be done at a later date.
You could:
• Operate an ‘open access’ service, rather than using a referral system, which can reduce stigma and ensure that community members are not required to continuously prove their level of ‘need’.
• Ensure that there are good reasons for any questions asked and data collected, considering the impact of monitoring questionnaires on community members.
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Community food support organisations can promote dignity by providing spaces and facilities for staff, volunteers and community members, to eat together. Sharing food, even if just coffee/tea and biscuits, can help break down barriers and foster a sense of belonging. When people of different backgrounds share food, it promotes understanding and helps build inclusive communities.
You could:
• Develop a café or refreshments space within your setting.
• Include a recipe swap notice board.
• Provide seasonal opportunities for volunteers and community members to cook and eat food together.
• If your project has kitchen facilities, consider allowing people with limited access, such as those in temporary accommodation, to use these.
• Host community events such as a Summer BBQ or Autumn Apple Day.
• Facilitate conversations about food, or a ‘food stories’ event to give people an opportunity to talk about their childhood memories of food, or the story behind their favourite recipe.
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Volunteers should be supported to recognise the complex reasons why people may need to access community food support and to work through any preconceptions or judgments.
You could:
• Let go of expectations of being ‘non-judgmental’.
• Provide time at the end of each session for volunteers to debrief and to discuss any judgements that came up for them.
• Reframe the narrative around poverty, shifting from ‘needy’ to ‘resourceful’ - Frameworks Institute have some useful resources to support with this issue.
• Take the time to understand why some community members may exhibit challenging behaviour, and provide volunteers with strategies to manage this (learning about trauma informed practice can be helpful).
Spotlight on LGBTQ+ communities 🌈
The latest Trussell Trust State of Hunger report highlighted that people from the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to experience food insecurity but less likely to attend a food aid project.
This article published by Sustain looks at LGBTQ+ celebration and inclusion in the food movement.
TRANSPARENT
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Ensuring that staff, volunteers, and community members know what they can expect from a service or project is fundamental to building and maintaining trust. It ensures that projects operate fairly, equitably, and transparently. What community members can expect (for example our Dignity Charter) could be made publicly visible and clear, with non-jargoned language used where possible.
You could:
• Make a plan around capacity – know how many community members you can support each week and what you will do if numbers begin to exceed those limits.
• Explain to new community members what they can expect from the organisation, including how much food might be available each week.
• Ensure that all volunteers understand any limits around how much food can be chosen each session and feel able to communicate this to community members.
• Ensure that all volunteers have a role description.
• Develop volunteer handbooks that include what volunteers can expect from their role.
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Transparency and clarity about the organisation’s mission, values, and guiding principles, is important. It helps to inform staff, volunteers, and community members of what they should expect and sets the tone for communication. It also helps foster a better informed and engaged community.
• Share information about your organisation’s aims, mission and values in a variety of different ways, for example, through a welcome pack, posters, and social media.
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You may want to make additional information about the organisation’s procedures, governance structure and capacity available. This information could be provided through monthly or annual reports, regular volunteer and staff meetings, clearly displayed notice boards and meetings with members. This will help volunteers and members to understand the constraints of the project and why key decisions are being made.
You could:
• Host volunteer and community member meetings to communicate any key decisions about the service.
• Make sure that volunteers and community members understand who makes key decisions and why they are made.
• Ideally volunteers and community members should be involved and consulted in decision making processes.
• Share information about the organisation’s governance through a website, newsletter, bulletin board and on social media.
PERSON-CENTRED
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Interactions between staff and community members are critical in shaping someone’s experience of community food support. Interactions that centre dignity and minimise trauma should be based on mutual respect and for staff and volunteers to be aware and respectful of physical and emotional boundaries. Volunteers should have a basic understanding of how trauma (including hunger trauma) can affect behaviour and should be supported to manage challenging behaviour. It is particularly important that staff and volunteers recognise the power imbalance that exists between them and community members, and appreciate how their actions and words can impact on community members, many of whom are experiencing difficult circumstances beyond the trauma of food insecurity.
You could:
• Organise ‘trauma informed practice’ training for staff and volunteers (local authorities and community organisations often offer this free of charge).
• Make time for volunteer briefings and debriefs, which give volunteers the opportunity to reflect on interactions with community members.
• Identify lead volunteers who are able to model interactions that centre dignity.
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Community food support organisations should have a strong culture and clear leadership around safeguarding - this means enabling people to live safely, free from harm, abuse and neglect. For projects to create a welcoming and inclusive space, and to promote respect and dignity, they must have very clear safeguarding practices and policies, which include communicating any concerns they have to the relevant community member (unless it is unsafe to do so). Safeguarding processes should include maintaining confidentiality (sharing information on a ‘need to know’ basis), and ensuring privacy for all.
Projects could identify a designated safeguarding champion or officer, and all staff and volunteers could complete basic safeguarding training, a working knowledge of the organisation’s safeguarding procedures. Staff and volunteers should also have clear procedures for conveying feedback in a private and safe manner, particularly about interactions they have with others.
You could:
• Deliver regular safeguarding training for staff and volunteers.
• Identify a Designated Safeguarding Lead or Safeguarding Champion.
• Have a clear safeguarding policy in place, supported by procedures.
• Ensure that volunteers know the process for raising safeguarding concerns with local statutory services.
• Give volunteers examples of phrases that they might say if someone shares information that concerns them.
• Have a confidential folder to record any safeguarding concerns.
• Make time for volunteer briefings and debriefs, which give volunteers the opportunity to share any safeguarding concerns.
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Providing choice is not just an issue of preference, but also a fundamental aspect of promoting dignity. Community food support organisations who are currently buying large quantities of food, may wish to consider providing vouchers or setting up a hardship fund instead. This approach recognises the diverse backgrounds, and different dietary and cultural preferences and considerations of their community members. We recognise that all community food support organisations operate within constraints, but recommend that projects should make a concerted effort to provide as much choice as possible, (including through the provision of shopping vouchers or hardship grants) within the limitations of their service. Providing choice empowers and respects the agency and autonomy of community members, and will also help to reduce food waste. Choice also extends to the right to decline items and not be judged for that.
You could:
• Avoid pre-packed food parcels wherever possible.
• Consider buying vouchers or setting up a hardship fund instead of purchasing food items.
• Display food items in an appealing way, based on market stalls or a shop.
• Clearly display guidance as to how many items can be chosen from each section and ensure that volunteers echo these limits.
• Offer choice in a number of different ways eg. fill one shopping bag, choose any 12 items for £1 or choose 2 items from each table.
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Limited confidentiality means that there are certain circumstances (for example if you suspect that someone is at risk of harm), when confidentiality cannot be upheld. For example, if a community member tells a volunteer that they are considering hurting themselves or someone in their family, the volunteer has a duty to share this information (with the organisation’s safeguarding lead, or with local Children’s Services or Adult Social Care). It is important that volunteers understand that they should never promise to keep something a secret, and that they should always prioritise the safety of community members and other volunteers.
You could:
• Display signs explaining what limited confidentiality is (you could use the text above).
• Give volunteers examples of phrases that they might say if someone shares information that concerns them.
• Make time for volunteer briefings and debriefs, which give volunteers the opportunity to share any safeguarding concerns.
• If community members often queue up before a project or service opens, think about how this could be done in order to protect the anonymity of those queuing.
EMPOWERING
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Creating a culture of open communication, which provides spaces for staff, volunteers, and community members to share their experiences, and give their input, helps foster a supportive environment that enhances dignity.
Sharing of experiences and being given opportunities to provide feedback can be done in a variety of ways that best suits the opening hours and structure of the project. It is essential to ensure staff and volunteers can feel safe expressing themselves honestly, which can lead to more constructive feedback.
Providing spaces and opportunities for members to share their experiences, provide feedback, and utilise their input, is essential for creating a person-centred and responsive environment. Members need to feel like their feedback and input can lead to changes.
You could:
• Hold regular team meetings, either in person or virtually, that allow for open discussions about the service.
• Hold regular 1:1 meetings with volunteers, or have an open door policy to allow staff and volunteers to approach the coordinator with any feedback or concerns.
• Hold 1:1 conversations, focus groups, community feedback sessions or member surveys to get feedback from community members.
• Have a ‘You said, We did’ display board to show how feedback has been acted on.
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Volunteers and community members bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience and, in particular, lived experience of food insecurity. They can provide insight into the challenges communities and individual households face, and the impact of those experiences. Encouraging contribution and involvement from community members fosters a shared sense of ownership and a strong sense of community belonging. The type of contributions and the possibility for involvement in decision making should be clearly conveyed.
You could:
• Hold regular community feedback sessions, including specific sessions focused on the experience of attending the project.
• Provide opportunities for members to volunteer or where appropriate, become paid staff.
• Link in with local arts groups to provide opportunities for community members to creatively share their experiences.
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Providing opportunities to contribute emphasises mutual respect and dignity. It contributes to the development of a community, gives community members a sense of autonomy and value, and encourages a sense of shared responsibility. Where and when members are actively engaged in reciprocal relationships, it challenges stereotypes and fosters an inclusive and supportive environment. It allows members to actively participate in the project, rather than being passive recipients, promoting a more empowering experience rather than a purely recipient-dependent dynamic.
You could:
• Consider ways in which community members may be able to contribute to the project, for example through subscription payments or pay-as-you-feel models; volunteering; sharing recipes; engaging in community events; and donating allotment produce.
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We know that many community members feel anxious before attending a community food support organisation, and expect to feel judged or looked down upon. Staff and volunteers have arguably the biggest impact on how people will experience a project or service, and the use of positive and empowering language is instrumental in fostering a feeling of self-worth and belonging.
You could:
• Avoid the use of stigmatising language when talking to or about community members.
• Ensure that volunteers strive to give everyone a warm and friendly welcome – including learning community member names where possible.
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Many organisations consider offering cookery or budgeting classes as a way to alleviate food insecurity. However, this ignores the fact that many users of community food support are already well equipped to cook and manage a tight budget, but their income is simply insufficient. Rather than making assumptions about what people can or cannot do, we recommend starting by asking what people are already able to do for themselves, what they are able to do with some support (and what does that support look like?), what help is being requested (if any) and what they might want to do to support or help you.
You could:
• Avoid making assumptions about what people can or can’t do for themselves.
• Consult with your community before offering courses or advice – is this something that people are asking for?
• Harness the strengths and gifts of your community – how can people contribute to grow your organisation?