Chaplaincy and student welfare worker services

Chaplaincy and student welfare worker services are optional for schools and provide students and staff with social, emotional and spiritual support; provide an additional adult role model in the school and enhance engagement with the broader community including parents.

Local community support is required for chaplaincy and student welfare worker services to operate in a school. Student involvement in any activities offered as part of a school's chaplaincy or student welfare worker service is voluntary.

Chaplaincy and student welfare worker services are inclusive of and show respect for all religious and non-religious beliefs and other stances represented in the school community. All activities and events provided are non-discriminatory and equally available to students of all beliefs.

Chaplains and student welfare workers are not permitted to engage in evangelising or proselytising, nor attempt to undermine a student's religious or other beliefs.

The Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Services policy statement 404K and supporting documents provide assistance for schools implementing a chaplaincy or student welfare worker service (paid or voluntary).

Many school communities 73K across the state have established a chaplaincy or student welfare worker service with the assistance of state and/or federal government funding 422K and/or through local community fundraising. Some schools may have a volunteer chaplain or student welfare worker.

Government funded programs include:

State Government Chaplaincy/Student Welfare Funding Program (SGCSWFP)
The SGCSWFP provides funding (recurrent) to eligible schools to engage the services of a chaplain or student welfare worker. There are 148 schools in low socio-economic areas with enrolments over 100 students that are allocated funding through the SGCSWFP.
The Queensland Government committed additional non recurrent funds in 2015 to ensure that schools could maintain an existing chaplaincy or student welfare worker service funded through the former National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program. The state government has continued this commitment for the 2016-2018 school years to align with the Australian Government's National School Chaplaincy Programme.
National School Chaplaincy Programme (NSCP)
The NSCP is a four-year Australian Government funded program that commenced in 2015 and provides application based funding to schools to engage a chaplain ONLY.

All government funding for chaplaincy and student welfare worker services is fully allocated.

Schools must use government funds for the purpose and specific type of service (chaplain or student welfare worker) for which they have been allocated. Schools should contact State Schools - Operations at StateSchool.Feedback@det.qld.gov.au for confirmation of service type if required.

Policy statement

Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Services policy statement 404K

Supporting documents

Forms

Contact for further information

For further information about chaplaincy/student welfare services contact your Regional Office State Schools - Operations through the State Schools Division email at: StateSchool.Feedback@det.qld.gov.au

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This page was last reviewed on 27 Feb 2017