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.