New secular alternative to school chaplains
Stephen Stuart, 10 September 2011
The Australian Government, after consultation with educational ‘stakeholders’ and following public submissions and an ombudsman’s report on the School Chaplaincy Program, has decided to broaden the program by admitting secular welfare workers on a par with religious chaplains.
Commencing in 2012, the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program will do away with the previous religious monopoly on ‘supporting the spiritual, social and emotional wellbeing of school students’ and leave the choice firmly with the school.
Click to go to the Departmental media release.
Duties and code of conduct for the two streams remain the same. In the new scheme all pastoral workers will need to have a Certificate IV in youth work, pastoral care or an equivalent, under Community Services National Training Package. If a school wishes to drop its chaplain for a secular worker, it will have to document consultation with the school community. The ‘service providers’ will be held to higher standards for monitoring service delivery and increased accountability; complaint procedure will be strengthened.
The Humanist Society acknowledges these changes as improvements in the public interest if they are carried out as announced. The shortcomings in the program which remain of concern are, first, the churches retain favoured, if not privileged, position, offering a monocultural pastor inappropriately to a multicultural school community; and providers are being given even more public money of undisclosed amount. Second, there is no actual money for a professional psychologist to be a school pastor: indeed, the welfare worker is not allowed to provide professional services unless qualified and agreed-to by the school community.
[...] A reply from Federal Minister Peter Garrett’s office suggests that the existing religion providers will also be hiring the secular counsellors by default, at least at the outset . “… the Department will be providing information on its website about organisations who have indicated their availability to provide this service. The choice of provider is a matter for the school.” – HG More… [...]
Does anyone know of an organisation which doesn’t require a person to be Christian in belief that is a provider for the National Student Welfare Program?
I’d like to register with them.
that God does not bless His people and come back to this blog with it.Also, read Malachi 3. I have atenedtd Hillsong London for 7 years now. I came from a church that did not believe in the prosperity of believers. Consequently few people could be helped by that church and in fact it folded. How does this help anyone, physically or Spiritually? Brian Houston runs a group of Churches with over 100,000 people in them (Including CLC’s). Now, he probably earns about as much as a bank manager, including the royalties of the books he has written. He works around 16 hours per day 6 days per week. Does his wage reflect the job?