SCHOOL chaplaincy may continue beyond this year, despite the High Court’s ruling last month that funding for the National School Chaplaincy scheme was invalid.
Chief executive officer of YouthCARE, WA’s largest provider of school chaplains, Stanley Jeyaraj, told The Record while the ruling was disappointing, it did not spell the end of chaplaincy services in public schools.
“I am encouraged by the Federal Government’s commitment to find an appropriate way to fund the new program,” he said.
“Although we do not yet know their plans, we understand that the Federal Government is carefully considering various options, including a grants arrangement through the States.
“We have every expectation that school chaplaincy will continue.”
In May, the Government announced that it had allocated $234.8 million over four years to fund the chaplaincy program, as part of the 2014-15 Federal Budget.
Some 343 public schools in WA with about 125,000 students access chaplaincy services through YouthCARE, the largest school chaplaincy provider in WA.
The school chaplaincy program was first introduced by the Howard Government in 2006.
Mr Jeyaraj said school chaplains played an important role in the community, providing social, emotion, mental and spiritual support to students, staff and families.
Karissa Sun, a chaplain at a primary school and a high school in Perth, told The Record the role of a chaplain is diverse.
“I’m doing everything from basic practical needs such as preparing foods for students that don’t have adequate food and finding uniforms to dealing with parents that are struggling with things that their children are going through,” she said. “There are accommodation issues, and then with the older students, drug use, self harm, homelessness and domestic violence.”
Mrs Sun, who has been a school chaplain for many years, said students often are more willing to talk openly and honestly to her rather than approach their teachers.
“The kids are able to form a relationship with you that they can’t form with their teachers,” she said.
“You’re just a safe place, and they know that there’s nothing they can’t say to you, you’re always going to have time for them, and you’re not going to judge them.
“It’s pretty special and pretty humbling, being able to have that opportunity to get behind someone like that.”
In her experience, parents and fellow school staff members strongly support the work of chaplains, Mrs Sun said. “There’s a misunderstanding that it’s a religious role, and that I will push my religion and beliefs on the children,” she said. “When [parents] work out how I operate, how I do my role, they’re OK with that.”
Mrs Sun said removing school chaplains could have devastating effects, particularly with the use of drugs, incidents of self-harm and broken homes on the rise.
“If we take away the kids’ ability to deal with those issues, we’re going to end up with an entire generation of dysfunctional adults,” she said.
A 2009 national research study undertaken by academics found that more than 93 per cent of school principals were in favour of Government funding of chaplaincy programs continuing.