Bethel Health And Healing Network

Charity 1116225

www.bethelnetwork.org.uk

Overview

Summary

Sources:Civic AtlasAI-assisted

Bethel Health and Healing Network appears to have evolved from a broadly framed Christian health-and-healing charity into a place-based support organisation centred on maternal wellbeing, emotional support and volunteer development. Its distinctive role is not only delivering help directly, but creating trusted, culturally sensitive routes between isolated residents, community support and potential NHS or care-sector careers. It operates across Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull, with particular attention to people affected by poverty, isolation and unequal maternity outcomes.

See observations

Operational geography

Sources:ONSCivic AtlasAI-assisted
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Nechells

Confidence: high

Bethel identifies Bloomsbury Health Centre in Nechells as its new 'place of Wellbeing and Welcome'; it also advertises in-person Rapha group wellbeing sessions there.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: News
    A Rapha Listening Service group wellbeing session was advertised at Bloomsbury Health Centre in Nechells.
  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: King's Award for Voluntary Service article
    The organisation states that it has opened its new place of Wellbeing and Welcome at Bloomsbury Health Centre in Nechells.
Ladywood

Confidence: high

Bethel's current Doula Service page explicitly identifies a regular Lunch Learn and Play session at Ladywood Leisure Centre.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: Bethel Doula Service
    The service page states: 'We run a Lunch Learn and Play session at Ladywood Leisure Centre.'
Erdington

Confidence: high

The organisation's website feed advertises YUMS, a free weekly group for young mothers and mothers-to-be, at Lakeside Children's Centre in Erdington.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website homepage: embedded Facebook feed
    Bethel describes YUMS as a free weekly drop-in for young mums and mums-to-be in Birmingham, held every Monday at Lakeside Children's Centre, Erdington.
Soho and Jewellery Quarter

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within Bethel's defined West Birmingham Health Champions geography. The programme trains local residents and deploys Doula and listening volunteers to support people in their community, but the evidence does not identify a fixed delivery venue in the ward.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    The programme defines Soho & Jewellery Quarter as an eligible West Birmingham area, and states that trained volunteers support pregnant women, new mothers and people needing listening support in West Birmingham.
Newtown

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within Bethel's defined West Birmingham Health Champions geography, although no fixed local venue is named.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    The programme lists Newtown among its West Birmingham areas and says Health Champions begin volunteering in the community after training.
Ladywood

Confidence: high

Ladywood has both a named direct service venue and inclusion in the West Birmingham Health Champions programme.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: Bethel Doula Service
    Bethel runs a Lunch Learn and Play session at Ladywood Leisure Centre.
  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Ladywood is listed as a West Birmingham area for the Health Champions programme.
Aston

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but evidence is programme-level rather than site-specific.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    The programme lists Aston among its West Birmingham areas and describes local Doula and Rapha Health Champion activity.
Nechells

Confidence: high

Nechells is both the location of Bethel's wellbeing base and a named area within its West Birmingham Health Champions programme.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Nechells is included in the programme's West Birmingham area list.
  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: News
    Bethel advertises Rapha group wellbeing activity at Bloomsbury Health Centre in Nechells.
Bordesley and Highgate

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no individual delivery venue is evidenced.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    The programme lists Bordesley & Highgate as a West Birmingham area and states that Champions support local people after training.
North Edgbaston

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but evidence does not establish a fixed local site.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    North Edgbaston is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham eligibility and community-support area.
Kingstanding

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Kingstanding is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Oscott

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Oscott is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Perry Barr

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Perry Barr is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Handsworth Wood

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Handsworth Wood is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Birchfield

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Birchfield is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Lozells

Confidence: medium

This ward is explicitly within the West Birmingham Health Champions programme geography, but no named venue or caseload is published.

  • Bethel Health & Healing Network website: West Birmingham Health Champions programme
    Lozells is included in the programme's stated West Birmingham area list.
Remaining uncertainties
  • Bethel's Doula Service states that it covers Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull and is commissioned by the NHS across those areas. This supports a citywide Birmingham service reach and a regional overall footprint, but it does not publish current ward-by-ward referral, home-visit or appointment data for Birmingham.
  • The West Birmingham Health Champions programme gives a clear target geography, but its ward list primarily defines where volunteers are recruited. It is reasonable to interpret this as an operational community-delivery area because Champions are trained to support people in their own communities; however, the organisation does not publish delivery volumes or fixed sites for each ward.
  • The supplied Charity Commission activity description says Bethel was 'currently providing practical support' in Sparkhill and Sparkbrook. The current website and 2024/25 impact report do not corroborate that these remain distinct current operating areas, so they have not been included.
  • YUMS activity also operates in Solihull, including Chelmsley Wood and North Solihull, outside Birmingham. This materially supports the regional coverage classification but cannot be represented in the supplied Birmingham area list.
  • The 2024/25 impact report refers to support for asylum-seeking women in two local hotels. Their locations are not published and should not be inferred because of safeguarding and privacy considerations.
Additional evidence needed
  • A current service-delivery or referral breakdown by Birmingham ward, distinguishing Doula, Rapha and group activity.
  • A current list of regular group venues, delivery days and commissioning boundaries for Birmingham services.
  • Confirmation from Bethel or its commissioners of whether West Birmingham Health Champions are currently active in every named programme ward, rather than solely recruiting volunteers from those wards.
  • A current NHS commissioning or contract document specifying the geographic footprint of the Doula Service in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull.

Areas of work

Source:Charity Commission
  • Accommodation/housing
  • Amateur Sport
  • Disability
  • Economic/community Development/employment
  • Education/training
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Religious Activities
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

Who they help

Source:Charity Commission
  • Children/young People
  • Elderly/old People
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/mankind

How they help

Source:Charity Commission
  • Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
  • Provides Advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
  • Provides Human Resources
  • Provides Services

Discoveries involving this organisation

The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.

Observations

Sources:Civic AtlasAI-assisted

  • Maternal support has become the organisation's practical centre of gravity

    Although its charitable objects and stated beneficiary groups are broad, the available recent evidence suggests that pregnancy, early motherhood and infant wellbeing now anchor Bethel's most visible work.

    Why it matters

    This helps distinguish Bethel from a general health charity: it may be an important community-based maternity-support partner, particularly where formal services do not address isolation or practical advocacy.

    Show evidence

    • “Its mission is to support vulnerable pregnant women and new mums and address high infant mortality linked to poverty and social deprivation.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “Its doula service provides practical and emotional support to vulnerable and isolated pregnant women.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “YUMS provides weekly support for young mums and mums-to-be in Birmingham and North Solihull.”

      Source:Organisation

  • Bethel combines support delivery with a community workforce pathway

    Bethel appears to use volunteering and accredited training as a dual strategy: increasing local support capacity while opening routes into maternity, mental-health and NHS-related work.

    Why it matters

    Its value may extend beyond individual services. It could strengthen civic capability by turning lived experience and community trust into skills, confidence and possible employment pathways.

    Show evidence

    • “The Birmingham West Birmingham Health Champions programme offers free training, hands-on experience and career pathways into maternity care, NHS roles and mental health support.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “Doula Champions receive accredited training led by an ex-NHS midwife.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “Rapha volunteers receive training in reflective listening and mental health first response.”

      Source:Organisation

  • Its broad charitable remit may conceal a more focused operating model

    There is a notable tension between Bethel's wide formal objects, which include housing, sport, poverty relief and economic development, and website evidence concentrated on maternal, mental-health and volunteer services.

    Why it matters

    Understanding whether the wider remit is active, historical or strategic would clarify where Bethel has real delivery capacity and where it may instead act as a convenor or future-facing platform.

    Show evidence

    • “The charity's stated purposes include health, education, poverty relief, accommodation, religious activities, amateur sport and economic/community development.”

      Source:Charity Commission

    • “The organisation highlights listening services, doula support, young-parent groups and health-champion training.”

      Source:Organisation

    • “It originated as a parish nursing service.”

      Source:Organisation

    Remaining uncertainties

  • The scale, reach and outcomes of each service are not quantified.
  • It is unclear how formal partnerships with NHS bodies, local authorities or maternity providers operate.
  • There is insufficient evidence about how Christian identity affects referrals, governance or service accessibility.

    Additional evidence needed

  • Recent annual reports, accounts and impact data showing service volumes, locations, funding and outcomes.
  • Referral pathways, partnership agreements and feedback from service users and partner organisations.
Charity Commission profile
Source:Charity Commission

Activities

The Bethel network is a Christian organisation, which exists to promote the heallth and well-being of the people of Birmingham and its environs. We achieve this providing a range of support through counselling, parish nursing and in the future a Health & Healing Centre offering a variety of services. We are currently providing practical support to the people of Sparkhill and Sparkbrook.

Charity objects

(A) THE RELIEF OF SICKNESS AND THE PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF GOOD HEALTH THROUGH THE PROVISION OF A CHRISTIAN HEALTH AND HEALING SERVICE IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PROVISION OF COUNSELLING, PRAYER AND HEALING, HEALTH ADVICE, SUPPORT AND HEALTHY LIVING ACTIVITIES. (B) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION BY THE PROVISION OF SUPPORT, ADVICE AND TRAINING ON HEALTH AND HEALING AND THROUGH THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES.