National Schools Chapliancy Program
Schools play a vital role in promoting the intellectual, physical, social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development and wellbeing of young Australians, and in ensuring the nation’s ongoing economic prosperity and social cohesion. Schools share this responsibility with students, parents, carers, families, the community, business and other education and training providers.Introduced in 2007, the National School Chaplaincy Programhas made valuable contributions to the wellbeing of school communities across Australia. It is a voluntary programme that assists school communities to support the spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing of their students. This can include support and guidance about ethics, values, relationships and spirituality; the provision of pastoral care; and enhancing engagement with the broader community.
It is not compulsory for any student to participate in activities or receive services from a programmeschool chaplain/student welfare worker.Parents/caregivers must be provided with information about the availability of chaplaincy/ student welfare services in their school (see Section 6.5) which emphasises the voluntary nature of the programmeand explains that members of the school community do not have to participate in this service.
In August 2010, the Australian Government announced that a further $222 million would be provided so that existing schools funded under the National School Chaplaincy Programcould have their funding extended to the end of 2014.
The nature of the chaplaincy/student welfare services to be provided, including whether they are provided by a school chaplain or secular student welfare worker, is a matter which must be decided by the school, following consultation with the school community. Students will not be obliged to participate in the programme, and parents and students will be regularly informed by the school about the availability and the voluntary nature of the chaplaincy/student welfare services.
National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Programfunded services are designed to form part of the already existing wellbeing services provided within the school community.This initiative does not seek todiminish or replace existing careers advice, counselling services or any other wellbeing service funded by state and territory governments, schools or sectors. The programmeis designed to provide a tailored option, based on the requirements of the school community and their decisions regarding the service to be delivered.
The objectives of the programmeare to assist school communities to provide pastoral care and general spiritual, social and emotional comfort to all students, irrespective of their faith or beliefs. This can include support and guidance about ethics, values, relationships and spiritual issues; the provision of student welfare; and enhancing engagement with the broader community.
Chaplaincy is a service that complements the care offered by other helping disciplines and aims to assist school communities through the provision of help and care to support the personal and social wellbeing of students and the school community.
Services and actions could include:
- Assisting school counselors and wellbeing staff in the delivery of student welfare services.
- Providing students, their families and staff with support and or appropriate referrals, in difficult situations such as during times of grief or when students are facing personal or emotional challenges.
- Supporting students to explore their spirituality and providing guidance about
- spirituality, values and ethical matters or referring students to, or sourcing appropriate services, to meet these needs; and facilitating access to support agencies in the community, where applicable.
- Supporting students and staff to create an environment which promotes the physical, emotional, social and intellectual development and wellbeing of all students.
- Supporting students and staff to create an environment of cooperation and mutual respect, promoting an understanding of diversity and the range of cultures and their related traditions.
- Being approachable to all students, staff and members of the school community.
- Supporting students, their families and staff of all beliefs and not seeking to impose any beliefs or persuade an individual toward a particular set of beliefs.
Annual consent forms cover general information about the proposed school chaplain service and allow parents/guardians to opt-out of the service.
Consent forms are provided for prearranged one on one sessions and ongoing assistance from the school chaplain, particularly where there is religious or spiritual content or where the activities require professional expertise such as counselling.
No specific parental/guardian consent for school chaplains to provide any faith based/religious services, in addition to current school arrangements, is required in religious schools as parental/guardian consent to the provision of religious services is understood to have occurred in the parent/ guardians’ decision to enrol their child in a religious school.
As the School Principal has an overall duty of care and is ultimately responsible for all students and staff within the school setting, all complaints about the school chaplain service within the school should be directed to the School Principal, in the first instance (except where specified otherwise in these programme guidelines). Complaints may be escalated to the Funding Recipient and/or the departmentin accordance with the process set out below.
This project was funded by the Australian Government Departmentof Education under the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program.
For more information on the NSCWP Guidelines follow the link here