School Chaplaincy Program (2 Viewers)

[scuba_steve2121]

Re: Chaplain's

when i grow up i wanna be a

social worker

ever heard a kid say that

no

actually I have, she was 12 at the time, does that count?

 

[Rafy]

Re: Chaplain's

A step in the right direction.

The prohibition against schools using secular welfare workers/counselors has been removed. There is no longer a mandatory religious requirement.

Those employed by the program will also receive training and will need to meet minimum qualifications. Before, anybody regardless of qualification could be employed.

THE HON PETER GARRETT MP
Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth

MEDIA RELEASE

7 September 2011

Schools given greater choice under expanded chaplains program

Schools will be able to choose the type of support that best meets the needs of their students under changes to the Government’s National School Chaplaincy Program outlined today.

School Education Minister Peter Garrett said from next year, school communities will be able to choose to employ either a chaplain or a secular student welfare worker. The scheme will also be strengthened with the introduction of minimum qualifications, benchmark standards for service providers, and improvements to the complaints management system.

“The Gillard Government is committed to extending this successful scheme to up to an extra 1000 schools from 2012, with priority given to schools serving disadvantaged areas or in regional or remote locations and an extra $222 million in funding,” Mr Garrett said.

“We know chaplains are already doing great work in our school communities and I expect that many more schools will apply for funding to employ a chaplain when applications for the new round open later this year.

“But we also want to give schools greater choice. This means schools won’t miss out on applying for the program if the school community would prefer to have a secular welfare worker instead of a chaplain.

“The chaplaincy program has proven very popular and we want to make sure schools and students are getting the full benefit, which is why we held a consultation earlier this year asking what was working and what could be improved,” Mr Garrett said.

“We had strong feedback for the program to be extended to qualified secular welfare workers, which will empower principals and school communities to choose the right person for the needs and circumstances of their school. This will also provide even more help and support to kids across the country.

“The scheme will be re-named the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program to reflect its broader scope.”

Other changes to be introduced include:

Introducing a minimum qualification for all new workers employed under the scheme – from 2012, all new chaplains or secular workers hired by schools will need to have a Certificate IV in Youth Work, Pastoral Care or equivalent qualification.
Requiring existing chaplains without the minimum qualifications to complete two units of the Certificate IV course: Mental Health and Making Referrals. About 500 existing chaplains will have 12 months to complete the units, with the Government meeting the costs. Existing chaplains can also have their current experience and qualifications formally recognised under Recognition of Prior Learning.
Increasing the maximum grants for schools in remote areas from $20,000 to $24,000, and giving priority for new funding to schools in regional, remote and disadvantaged areas.
Introducing new benchmark standards for service providers, including the provision of ongoing professional development and support, monitoring of service delivery, and appropriate risk management and compliance requirements.
Strengthening the program’s complaints management processes so that each school will be required to keep a complaints log and have a designated complaints officer, and parents and students are fully informed about how they can raise any concerns they may have.



Mr Garrett said the changes reflected the feedback received throughout the Government’s extensive community consultation process earlier this year. They also implement a number of recommendations from the Commonwealth Ombudsman, particularly around strengthened administrative processes and requiring minimum qualifications.

“It was great to see so many organisations, schools and individuals taking part in our consultation and their feedback and suggestions played an important part in the Government’s decisions to expand the scheme,” he said.

“There are already almost 2700 schools taking part in the program, and the Gillard Government has committed an additional $222 million to extend the scheme to 2014 and provide funding for up to 1000 more schools.

“We want as many schools as possible to benefit from what has been a popular and successful program.”

The new guidelines will be published shortly. More information on the changes to the scheme is contained in the attached fact sheet and online at www.deewr.gov.au/schoolchaplaincy.

Minister’s Media Contact: Lisa Miller 0419 124 717

 

[Politic]

Re: Chaplain's

A step in the right direction.

The prohibition against schools using secular welfare workers/counselors has been removed. There is no longer a mandatory religious requirement.

Those employed by the program will also receive training and will need to meet minimum qualifications. Before, anybody regardless of qualification could be employed.

The scheme is somewhat less of a joke now.

 

[Rafy]

Wow, this is big.

@ElizabethJByrne: A Queensland man has won his high court challenge to the Commonwealth's funding for school chaplaincy programs.

 

[Rafy]

'Today the High Court, by majority, held that a funding agreement... for the provision of chaplaincy services ... is invalid.'

'Majority of the High Court also held that payments made by the Commonwealth...were not supported by s 61 of the Constitution.'

'High Court held that the Funding Agreement and payments..were invalid because they were beyond the executive power of the Commonwealth.'


Summary http://www.scribd.com/doc/97610008/Williams-v-Cth


Full Judgment: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/23.html

 

[Lentern]

Unelected swill with their activist regime.

 

[Rafy]

The s116 argument was rejected though, so Parliament could simply legislate to get around this judgment.

 

[Lentern]

The s116 argument was rejected though, so Parliament could simply legislate to get around this judgment.

Yeah because this has bipartisan support, just like offshore processing.

 

[eschatos]

'Today the High Court, by majority, held that a funding agreement... for the provision of chaplaincy services ... is invalid.'

'Majority of the High Court also held that payments made by the Commonwealth...were not supported by s 61 of the Constitution.'

'High Court held that the Funding Agreement and payments..were invalid because they were beyond the executive power of the Commonwealth.'

Summary http://www.scribd.com/doc/97610008/Williams-v-Cth


Full Judgment: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2012/23.html

Summary: That decision just means that funding needs to be thought over. The High Court did not come to the conclusion that religion was being delivered schools through this program. People who say that chaplains in schools are just a bunch of evangelists wanting to preach are wrong according the the High Court of Australia. That says a lot.

 

[Rafy]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...id-by-high-court/story-fn59nlz9-1226959670910

School chaplaincy program declared invalid by High Court

FUNDING for religious chaplains in schools has been declared invalid by the High Court for the second time, in a major victory for Toowoomba father-of-six Ron Williams.

The landmark ruling has cast legal doubt on more than 400 commonwealth spending programs, and could force the Abbott government to overhaul the way it funds everything from private schools and universities to hospitals and local roads.

In a unanimous decision, the High Court found the $244 million school chaplains program was invalid because it was not supported by a head of constitutional power.

It is the second time the High Court has knocked over the school chaplaincy scheme.

 

[Gary_Oak]

LOL

Wat a fukhead

 

[Graney]

C'mon, Rafy isn't that bad.

 

[Futuremedstudent]

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/nat...id-by-high-court/story-fn59nlz9-1226959670910

School chaplaincy program declared invalid by High Court

FUNDING for religious chaplains in schools has been declared invalid by the High Court for the second time, in a major victory for Toowoomba father-of-six Ron Williams.

The landmark ruling has cast legal doubt on more than 400 commonwealth spending programs, and could force the Abbott government to overhaul the way it funds everything from private schools and universities to hospitals and local roads.

In a unanimous decision, the High Court found the $244 million school chaplains program was invalid because it was not supported by a head of constitutional power.

It is the second time the High Court has knocked over the school chaplaincy scheme.

I'm sorry if this is dumb, but does chaplaincy mean they become like a priest?

 

[turntaker]

With Bob Carr last month slamming the funding given to chaplain program I've been curious to know what other school chaplains are like.

The chaplain at my school she is late 20's trained science and maths teacher (she has taught at the school as a casual before), she mostly has dealings with the people that want to ask her questions, ask her for advice (I want to her for advice on something and we talked caught up a week later long story short we ended up talking about the matter i wanted advice on and then got onto drinking (pe parties in particular), what living on uni campus is like etc.) All in all she is really good, not pushy about religion (she doesn't push her beliefs onto students when talking to them about religion) easy to get alone with. This is coming from a public school student.

It should have passed. It is a very good idea! 10/10 would vote. Go tony.. best PM

 

[someth1ng]

The chaplaincy program was junk.

 

[nerdasdasd]

^

Agreed

I remember they tried to force religion on us suspecting kids in primary school ...

 

[FlourishingFlower]

Interesting subject. The High Court handed down its decision just yesterday, saying that the program was unconstitutional because it was not supported by legislation under a valid s 51 head of power. The problem is that s 96 of the Commonwealth Constitution allows for tied grants to be made to States, so if the government really wanted it could indeed go ahead with the program. It will just use another avenue.

 

[celadoncity]

I'm sorry if this is dumb, but does chaplaincy mean they become like a priest?

Nah they're just religiously trained, like they do an internship with their church or something. I don't really know how it works but they're certainly not trained social workers/counsellors/psychologists.

IMO the program's a bit dodgy. I went to both Catholic and public schools and I think the one at the public school was a bit worse in terms of ramming it down peoples' throats (I actually went to the one at the Catholic school and she was fine). Even with the "spiritual wellbeing is important" argument, well that's only true for some people, and it certainly isn't the role of public schools to administer that (plus they only offer from one religious perspective).
Plus they aren't trained. And untrained people poking around in peoples' personal difficulties can do even more damage. Really not something you want in a school. I wonder how many people have gone to see them and found them unhelpful, then assumed other trained professionals are the same and not bothered to get further help.
I'm not saying they're bad people and, within religions, they've certainly got a place. But I really don't like how they're pushed as legitimate help for mental health concerns when they've got absolutely no training.