Learn about what humanist pastoral carers do, and if you might want to become one.

From hospital chaplaincy to spiritual, pastoral, and religious care (SPaRC), what can we learn from the Bradford Model about the value of including humanists?

Pastoral care in hospitals is all about looking after the emotional well-being of patients and staff. In the past, this has been dominated by religion-led chaplaincy. But in Bradford things are being done differently, largely as the result of some passionate and committed humanists.

After becoming one of the first ever professional humanist pastoral carers in the UK, Jo Mutlow went on to successfully advocate for the ongoing inclusion of non-religious people in this traditionally faith-based domain. As a result, Jo’s position was made permanent, the term ‘chaplain’ was retired, and the pastoral care service took on a truly cross-belief approach. Through various initiatives, such as an innovative web app, the spiritual pastoral and religious care (SPaRC) service is a leading example of how collaboration and innovation can be a real force for good.

Jo will be introduced by Dermot Bolton, who through his position as a hospital governor played a pivotal role in campaigning to have the humanist pastoral carer position created. Whilst still being a governor, Dermot is also a member of the SPaRC steering committee.

Along with her day job, Jo co-hosts the Opening up Chaplaincy podcast with Anglican Minister Stig Graham. The podcast aims to widen discourse around chaplaincy, modelling inclusion, and debunking the idea that humanists have nothing to contribute

Jo is part of a wider network of humanist pastoral carers. Humanist Care is committed to ensuring that non-religious people should be able and capable of providing pastoral support to all those who want it, irrespective of their religion or belief. This network now has over 250 operating across a range of institutional settings throughout the UK.