Non-religious chaplains may not be funded under new chaplaincy program in 2015

Updated

More than 500 of Australia's 2,300 school chaplains may not be funded under the Federal Government's new chaplaincy program that begins next year, because they are not religious.

Under the Abbott Government's new policy guidelines a chaplain must be recognised by "religious qualifications or endorsements by a recognised or accepted religious institution".

Those currently working as secular, student welfare officers may soon be out of a job and replaced by people of faith.

Martin Grigg, CEO of Onpsych, an Australian company which trains people to work as psychologists and social workers in schools, said he hoped to find a way around the new exclusions by approaching religious institutions to endorse secular staff.

"They'll need to be well qualified, they'll need to have very good experience and have the support of the school," Mr Grigg said.

"We will need to see references and CVs but given all that, we hope that we can find a religious institution that will back us and back those workers and give the schools the choices I think they need."

The previous Labor Government gave schools the choice of religious or secular staff to work as school chaplains, and Mr Grigg said some religious schools chose secular staff to work as chaplains.

"Many of the schools which are established around their religion are using the chaplaincy to work with psychologists and social workers because they believed that the religious side of their education program was very well catered for and they didn't need any additional support," he said.

"But they had identified a need for psychologists, social workers or welfare officers."

Mr Grigg said he would be approaching a range of religious institutions over the next two months to try and win their support.

Secular staff say the new chaplaincy program is not merit-based

Colleen Sweeney is the student welfare officer at Asquith Boy's High School in Sydney.

She is not part of any religious organisation but is highly qualified and has worked with street kids, young offenders, sexual abuse victims and spent more than 10 years working with the Department of Community Services (DOCS).

Ms Sweeney is employed under the school chaplaincy program but will not be returning to the school next year.

"I think it's highly unfair," Ms Sweeney said.

"The kids are ultimately the ones who are going to suffer because you build those relationships.

I would certainly be very disappointed that it's got to the point where, rather than be selected for a job on merit, you are selected on the basis of religion. Colleen Sweeney, student welfare officer at Asquith Boy's High School

"They trust you, they tell you things they've never told anyone, things they are ashamed of, things they worry about and then you are gone, so they are the ones who are going to suffer."

Dr Kim Pinnock is a member of the school Parents and Citizens Council, which hired Colleen Sweeney, and said the school did not want to lose her.

"We had some very good people apply for the job, so it was actually difficult to choose someone," Dr Pinnock said.

"Colleen was very well qualified and so she was chosen deliberately on her merits to support the boys at the school.

"She's certainly done that very well so we really support her and want to keep her."

Ms Sweeney also questioned whether excluding non-religious staff would undermine merit-based appointments.

"I would certainly be very disappointed that it's got to the point where, rather than be selected for a job on merit, you are selected on the basis of religion," she said.

Chaplains must be multi-faith but not secular

Under the new school chaplains program, chaplains can be Christian, Muslim or from another faith but cannot be non-religious.

Chaplains are not allowed to proselytise. The school chaplaincy program will now be administered by states and territories after two successful High Court challenges questioned the legality of the Commonwealth funding the program.

It is yet to be seen whether secular staff currently working as school chaplains can be endorsed by religious organisations and fulfil the new criteria for the role.

When asked if a secular worker could be endorsed by a religious organisation to continue working as a school chaplain, a spokesman for Senator Scott Ryan, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, referred the ABC back to the new definition of the school chaplain.

According to the definition, a chaplain is an individual who:

Is recognised by the school community and the appropriate governing authority for the school as having the skills and experience to deliver school chaplaincy to the school community,

Is recognised through formal ordination, commissioning, recognised religious qualifications or endorsement by a recognised or accepted religious institution,

Meets the NSCP's minimum qualification requirements.

Read the project agreement for the chaplaincy program:

Topics: government-and-politics, education, australia

First posted