Liberty, a leading human rights group, is urging Nottingham City Council to scrap ‘cruel’ proposals which could criminalise the area’s most vulnerable people. Liberty said the council’s proposed Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) ‘punishes charitable acts in a bid to airbrush their streets’; the proposals would ‘essentially ban homelessness’, in a move which ignores Home Office guidance. PSPOs are drawn up by local councils to prevent anti-social behaviour, deemed detrimental to the area’s quality of life. Nottingham plans to prohibit members of the public from making ‘unauthorised requests’ for money, personal items, or other donations, and would also ban obstruction of building entrances and exits. It could be a criminal offence to give out free items to someone unknown. Those in breach of the PSPO could be fined up to £100, and offenders could be prosecuted if unable to pay.

The use of restraints on adults with learning disabilities in hospital units in England rose by 50% between 2016 and 2017. Former social care minister Norman Lamb said the use of restraint was ‘shameful’. The Department of Health said it was committed to reducing the use of restrictive force in hospitals. The data, covering both adults and children, also revealed that patient-on-patient assaults rose from 3,600 to more than 9,000 over the same period, and instances of face-down restraint, banned by government guidelines, increased to 3,100. Pray for more finances to be available to ensure that vulnerable people receive the safe support that meets their various social care needs. Pray for better training for those working with adults and children with challenging behaviour and moderate or severe learning disabilities.

MPs and campaigners have criticised the decision to allow the Sex Workers’ Outreach Project (Swop) to have a stall on the University of Brighton’s Eastbourne campus over the three days of Freshers' Fair. Writer and campaigner Julie Bindel, who has written widely on prostitution, called the move ‘disgraceful’ and demanded an enquiry. Labour MP Sarah Champion tweeted her outrage at the decision. Swop defended its attendance in a tweet (that was later deleted) saying, ‘Rising living and tuition costs mean that more students than ever are turning to sex work, and Swop believe that they deserve our help. Sex work is work.’ CARE’s spokesperson said, ‘Swop’s inclusion at Freshers’ Fair is irresponsible. It normalises and glamourises prostitution, showcasing it as a harmless option to alleviate student debt, and sending damaging messages to vulnerable students, many of whom are away from home for the first time.’

A CofE working party has drafted ‘A Covenant for Clergy Care and Wellbeing’, and are inviting people to comment on it. The 'Big Conversation' about clergy care will aim to prevent burnout in church leaders, who are always ‘on duty’ in a job that could never be 9 to 5. The draft document sets out some ways of changing the culture of the Church to enable the care and wellbeing of its clergy to be more fully addressed.