A flagship government employment policy is facing further delays following a boycott by over 300 voluntary organisations. The ‘Help to Work’ scheme will force long-term unemployed people to work full-time for six months for no pay, or face losing their benefits. Last Monday's deadline, by which the placements were required by contract to be up and running, has passed, but the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is now saying placements will begin later in the month. There is speculation that the DWP is struggling to find charities, faith groups or local authorities to host the placements. Hundreds of voluntary groups have signed the ‘Keep Volunteering Voluntary’ statement to say they will boycott the scheme. They include household names such as Christian Aid, Oxfam, Crisis, Shelter and Scope. Keep Volunteering Voluntary points out that even during the pilot scheme, the DWP failed to find placements for 37 percent of participants.

The Church of England asked for bishops to have powers to oversee the removal and reburial of bodies in graves along the planned HS2 rail line. 30,000+ graves must be exhumed along the high-speed route. Church officials say the Bill paving the way for the line does not provide for those remains to be treated in a ‘decent and reverent’ way and the Bill should not pass without changes. The Archbishops' Council made its criticisms in a petition to Parliament, attacking the Bill for not striking a proportionate balance between the rights of the Church of England to manifest its religion and the general needs of the community that are to be met by the works on HS2. The petition says that by law, human remains interred in consecrated land are under the protection of the Church. Because the bill overrides that protection, the petition says other ecclesiastical safeguards should be provided for in its place.

In a highly significant development, the Royal College of Psychiatrists has changed its position on the causes and nature of same-sex attraction. The review follows strong criticism made by the Christian Medical Fellowship and Core Issues Trust of the way in which the Royal College had handled scientific evidence on the issue. Andrea Williams from Christian Concern for our Nation, commented, ‘This is a remarkable development. The assumption that people are born gay has become deeply rooted in our society and has driven huge political, social and cultural change. Yet now the Royal College of Psychiatrists has admitted that things are not so simple and that post-birth environmental factors play a part. It is a step in the right direction and I congratulate the Christian Medical Fellowship and Core Issues Trust for ensuring that public debate acknowledges truth. We will continue to work to ensure that those facing unwanted same-sex attraction can access appropriate therapy.’ See also http://www.christianconcern.com/our-concerns/sexual-orientation

Churches and Christians are being encouraged to pray for the media on Sunday June 1st. The initiative is being led by the Church and Media Network, with prayers being submitted by the Archbishop of York, Rev Ruth Gee, President of the National Conference of the Methodist Church; Dr Daleep Mukarji, the Vice-President of the Methodist Conference; and the Rt Rev Nick Baines, the Anglican Bishop-designate of Leeds. The Church and Media Network, which seeks to encourage Christians to engage with the media, is encouraging people to submit their own prayers on the newly-launched website www.pray4media.co.uk and to tweet prayers to @pray4media. Rev Tony Miles, Chair of the Network, explained: ‘As Christians we want to affirm the media’s vital role in our society. At its best the media gives a voice to the voiceless, holds the powerful to account, highlights unjust practices, calls for justice, keeps people informed, brings us strong opinions to challenge our own – and tells stories to entertain us.’