IFN – Fixed term paid Internship opportunity

  1. Fixed-term paid Internship opportunity

IFN has today advertised a fixed-term paid Internship from 14 January to 31 March. The post has a strong focus on youth inter faith support and working with HE and FE institutions. The post holder will be expected to work remotely while Government COVID-19 restrictions point to this, but will otherwise be primarily based at the London office.

Further information about the role is available on the IFN website athttps://www.interfaith.org.uk/involved/vacancies/jobs.  A copy of the job description is also attached to this email.

The deadline for applications is 11 am on 4 January.  There is a tighter than usual turn around on this recruitment.  However, it would be appreciated if member bodies would draw this role to the attention of their members.  Thank you.

  1. Review into engagement with faith groups in England

As noted in Circular 42/20, sent on 17 November, Colin Bloom, Faith Engagement Adviser at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, is currently leading an independent review into how best the government should engage with faith groups in England.https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/independent-faith-engagement-review-call-for-evidence

A reminder that the closing date for responses is 11 December.

How tier restrictions affect places of worship and faith groups

From today, the national lockdown in England has ended and the country is returning to the Local Restriction, aka Tiers, system. Places of worship are now once again allowed to open for communal worship in all tiers.However, compared to before the lockdown, some changes have been made to which activities are allowed. Please see the table below for a full breakdown of how restrictions apply to faith-related activities in each tier.

If you are unsure which tier of restrictions applies in your area, please check the full list of tiers available on GOV.UK.

What is allowed in each tier of restrictions?

NOTE: Wherever interaction can take place, social distancing of 1m+ should still be strictly maintained between anyone who doesn’t live together or are in a ‘support bubble’.

For more information, please see the updated guidance for places of worship.

Activity Medium (Tier 1) High (Tier 2) Very High (Tier 3)
Opening Places of Worship for communal worship Open for as many people as can be safely accommodated with social distancing measures
Attending Places of Worship for communal prayer Can attend and interact in groups of up to 6 people from different households Can only interact indoors with your own households, but outdoors can interact in groups of up to 6 Can only interact with your own household both indoors and outdoors
Wedding Ceremonies Can take place with up to 15 attendees, all of whom can interact.
Wedding Receptions Can take place with up to 15 attendees, all of whom can interact Can take place with up to 15 attendees, all of whom can interact Cannot take place
Funerals Can take place with up to 30 attendees, all of whom can interact
Commemorative events post-death Can take place with up to 15 attendees, all of whom can interact
Other Standalone Life-Cycle Ceremonies
that do not take place as a part of communal worship
Can attend and interact in groups of up to 6 people from different households Can only interact indoors with your own households, but outdoors can interact in groups of up to 6 Can only interact with your own household both indoors and outdoors
Supervised Activities for Children
(including Sunday schools, madrassas etc.)
Can take place with no limit on the number of children permitted to attend, following COVID-Secure guidance. Adults must ensure social distancing at all times.

Is singing allowed?

Singing that involves the congregation is allowed ONLY if it takes place outdoors. Social distancing and any relevant principles laid out in the guidance for the performing arts must also be observed.