Could someone please explain the role of a School Chaplaincy Program in a secular school?

[i-need-a-martini]

I don't understand how parents at secular public schools can accept this?

[bella_again]

I don't agree with funding cuts to psychs but I wonder whether the issue is one of appropriateness. I don't know what program yours came through but the one here requires a degree and at least one other formal qualification from dip to degree level in counselling, social work, youth work or community services.  No one should be employed just because they are religious she must have had some other skills that were relevant to the field.

She may have qualifications you are not aware of maybe? A psych is a more specialised area and really schools only have psychs at the lower degree level, most clinical psychs work for themselves or as part of an organisation ie community health centres, hospitals etc because they get the medicare rebate.

What I think is clear is that students deserve however it is achieved the best support possible.  So yes  I think that those who are employed as wellbeing officers or chaplains definitely need to have training in mental health as well as more broadly to support the wide range of needs there.

[boris1gary]

maybe watch the video, although I kind of wish I hadn't.

[bella_again]

Martini I don't get their thinking either but I think it all boils down to the dollar. Govt will be saving money somewhere trust me lol!!!

I don't know if it will make such a huge difference maybe the other way to look at it is that perhaps its encompassing a wider range of needs meeting the needs of students who also have spiritual belief systems whilst supporting everyone equally.  We don't have to major on the faith side, we should major on the right person for the job side. If they are qualified and meet students needs that's all that ultimately matters.

I don't understand how priding yourself on equality and diversity impacts whether or not you employ someone with a faith background.  How does that threaten the diversity of the school?  Surely that would enhance it? Diversity and equality is about the inclusion of everyone not just a select few.  A chaplain won't force anything on your school, there are strict guidelines in regard to their role.  Maybe I missed what you mean?

What I do dislike though is schools feeling forced to drop existing welfare officers in order to maintain funding.  That's wrong.  Maybe the school will find a loop hole somehow?

[bella_again]

Boris, yes I'm aware of this guy.  But hes the other extreme.  I agree things should have been implemented a lot better than they were,  But I am also aware of many schools who did take on a chaplian and would say its added to their school community.  It all comes down to the people involved and their competancy levels.

Maybe what they should be doing is  a survey of schools to see what has worked best and what system has the best outcomes.  I think schools could do with both but that's my personal opinion and maybe because the schools I've been involved in have seen nothing but positive results.

[boris1gary]

---

@bella_again wrote:

Boris, yes I'm aware of this guy.  But hes the other extreme.  I agree things should have been implemented a lot better than they were,  But I am also aware of many schools who did take on a chaplian and would say its added to their school community.  It all comes down to the people involved and their competancy levels.

Maybe what they should be doing is  a survey of schools to see what has worked best and what system has the best outcomes.  I think schools could do with both but that's my personal opinion and maybe because the schools I've been involved in have seen nothing but positive results.

---

My childrens schools had a mixture of all religions, including no religion. I am glad that school is behind them now. There really is no place for such things in our secular public school education system. It's inappropriate in our multicultural society and the money could be better spent on a range of things that are based on education and not on a certain religious persuasion.

[daydream**believer]

My kids primary school has a school chaplain.

She is lovely. She is also a counsellor (?). She works at our school 12 hrs a week

She helps familes deal with issus and runs our school breakfast club.

She is the person i call when things with my Mum have hit me hard.

Im not religious at all and she has never tried to talk religion with me

[i-need-a-martini]

bella - they haven't dropped funding. I think they have actually increased it significantly. The only thing they dropped was the ability to hire someone outside of a church.

In regards to our school, it is an innercity school that caters to wide religions and ways of life. The children are taught religion so my kids know as much about Christian religion as they do about Judaism, Bhuddism, Dreamtime, Islam. However they are not taught it as a religion but as part of global culture.

The school has a strict policy that religion is taught at home and not at school.

In terms of chaplaincies not forcing anything on the school - I disagree. The appointment of a chaplain instantly forces a presence of religion in a school.

And if their religion is instrumental in the counselling they supply, then it is also forcing religion onto individuals.

For example, lets take youth suicide. Extraordinarily high and highest amongst homosexual teens.

In my school homosexual teens are supported. And there are quite a few of them and it is very open. It is one of the things that I am most proud of. 

So what happens in a school where a homosexual teenager is having difficulties with his/her feelings and their only counsellor is a Catholic chaplain? How much support can that person possibly give them given that homosexuality is a sin? And what are the chances of them remaining neutral given their religious beliefs?

[the_great_she_elephant]

---

@daydream**believer wrote:

My kids primary school has a school chaplain.

She is lovely. She is also a counsellor (?). She works at our school 12 hrs a week

She helps familes deal with issus and runs our school breakfast club.

She is the person i call when things with my Mum have hit me hard.

Im not religious at all and she has never tried to talk religion with me

---

If your school chaplain is a trained counsellor and is employed to work as a counsellor then there is no problem; but if chaplains are not employed as counsellors then what exactly is their role?

[bluecat*dancing]

When she took the stand she had to state her qualifications and she had none. She does offer counselling to the children which is why she testified. Her testimony was good and she'll get to do it all again soon. I hope that she does become a social worker etc because she would be great. 

[daydream**believer]

good point she ele.

She is hired as a school chaplain.

The school does have a school counsellor. I personally didnt like him so found it a blessing to be able to speak to the chaplain at the times i have needed help.

The school now has a new school counsellor. Have no idea what hes like yet.

IMO, she is needed in the school, not as a chaplain but as a lovely lady who potters around helping everywhere and anyone who needs it