National School Chaplaincy Submission of the Progressive Atheists
Progressive Atheists submits its feedback on the National School Chaplaincy Program
National School Chaplaincy Submission of the Progressive Atheists
Prepared by
Dr Trent Reardon
President
Progressive Atheists
Do you support the introduction of minimum qualifications for school chaplains?
Yes
Do you support the introduction of a minimum Certificate IV (Associate Diploma) in Youth Work or similar (e.g. pastoral care, community services)?
No, I think the minimum qualification should be higher
What should be the minimum entry qualifications?
Bachelor / University degree
A Discussion Paper 25
What elements are most important for minimum qualifications for schools chaplains? (you can select more than one option)
Youth work
Counselling skills
Other: (please provide details)
The support worker employed by this program needs to be a qualified psychologist or equivalent, with training in child and adolescent development, cognition and learning, human behaviour, personality, counselling, psychological assessment, diagnosis, evidence-based interventions and ethical practice. The approach must be evidence based, not based on a particular ‘faith’ based belief. ‘Theological’ expertise should be irrelevant.
Are there any other comments you would like to make about the qualifications of chaplains?
No religious qualification or test should be applied to interested participants. The current nature of the program is discriminatory, privileges one religion (or none) over another, is arguably unconstitutional and compromises the secular nature of the public school system. Having a chaplain of a known faith may also discourage some students from seeking help in the first place, specifically students with a different faith, atheist students, students seeking help understanding questions of gender or sexuality or students with divorced parents, parents of a different faith, single parent families etc. The religious nature of the program also makes proselytising inevitable (and openly admitted to by scripture union, contrary to guidelines) and places the chaplain in a clear conflict of interest when the issue to be discussed has a perceived ‘moral’ component. For example, how does the chaplain respond to a homosexual student? The submission provided by the Australian Psychological Society also demonstrates that chaplains frequently work outside their area of training threatening the mental health of young people. The Progressive Atheists recommend that admission to the program be based solely on non-religious, evidence based qualifications. The participant should also not reveal their particular religion, nor reveal any particular theological position.
Do you support the introduction of minimum standards for service providers under the program?
Yes
What elements are most important for minimum standards for service providers?
Service providers must be secular and incorporate a professional psychological/counselling body that operates under an evidence based program that offers ongoing professional support.
Providers must monitor compliance of current rules prohibiting evangelism. Providers should also monitor and prohibit the expression of personal religious or moral positions.
They must have no ideological or religious agenda and employ only those qualified to perform evidence based mental health services.
There must be a clear complaint resolution process independent of political/religious influence.
Are there any other comments you would like to make about the minimum standards for service providers?
A secular provider is the best option to minimise evangelism, narrow religious moralising and to ensure an evidence based approach to student mental health. The school community must be made aware of the service provider, their religious agenda and the complaint resolution process.
Do you support the current arrangements which require schools to attempt to employ a chaplain before being able to employ a secular pastoral care worker?
No. This practice is discriminatory and highlights the obvious religious agenda of the program. A religious chaplain is also operating under a clear conflict or interest. A religious chaplain comes with a set of faith based beliefs (sin, eternal punishment, the corruption of a ‘soul’) which will clearly influence the approach they take to assisting a young person with their concerns. This approach can conflict with an evidence based approach to mental health. For example, a non-religious person will be obligated to tell a young person that being attracted to someone of the same sex is ok, that parents seeking a divorce aren’t ‘sinners’ and that their atheist friends won’t go to a ‘hell’ and set on fire when they die. A religious person on the other hand may be forced to answer honestly.
Do you support modification of the program to give schools the choice of a non-faith based support worker or youth worker?
Yes. This will remove the current discriminatory practice and allow qualified, non-religious individuals to participate. It will also reduce the potential for evangelism and remove any potential conflict of interest outlined above. It will also increase the participation of some students who felt they couldn’t use the program previously due to their religious/personal beliefs or practices.
Are there any other comments you would like to make about the choice of support worker?
The support worker should be a professionally trained psychologist/counsellor under the administration of a non-religious professional body. No religious test should be applied. The support worker must not reveal any particular faith-based position and if they feel that they cannot comply they should be excluded from the program. Having a secular based program free of religious influence will give students and parents greater access to qualified professionals and minimise the dangers of evangelism. It will also cater to a wider number of students and parents who previously did not feel comfortable with a religious based program due to their own religion/lack of religion or their particular beliefs or practices. At the same time, religious students and parents can still receive the best quality, evidence-based care.
What models of administration would support innovative delivery under the program?
Greater funding should be made available to the least advantaged schools and to the students with the most challenging mental health needs. Under current arrangements, funding has been made available to schools that already have a chaplain which is not the best use of valuable resources. A secular based program may make schools with a more complex and diverse community more likely to adopt the program.
What innovative models of delivery would support rural, remote and disadvantaged schools to maximise the effectiveness of funding they could receive under the program? (you can select more than one option)
Other: (please provide details)
Funding should be based solely on the needs of the local community and be flexible enough to deal with complex local factors. A secular program would provide greater flexibility.
Are there any other comments you would like to make about innovative delivery models?
Not at this time.
Are there any other comments you would like to make about the program?
The current nature of the program is discriminatory, privileges one religion (or none) over another, is arguably unconstitutional and compromises the secular nature of the public school system. An evidence-based, secular program free of religious influence will give students and parents greater access to qualified professionals and minimise the dangers of evangelism. It will also cater to a wider number of students and parents who previously did not feel comfortable with a religious based program due to their own religion/lack of religion or their particular beliefs or practices. At the same time, religious students and parents can still receive the best quality, evidence-based care.
The Progressive Atheists make the following recommendations
The support worker employed by this program needs to be a qualified psychologist or equivalent.
No religious qualification or test should be applied to support workers.
The approach taken by the support worker must be evidence based, not based on a particular ‘faith’ based belief.
The support worker must not reveal any particular faith-based position.
Service providers must be secular and incorporate a professional psychological/counselling body that operates under an evidence based program that offers ongoing professional support.
There must be a clear complaint resolution process independent of political/religious influence.
