Chaplaincy Program
For over 10 years, Life!Central Services has provided Chaplains for 12 schools across the State in both metropolitan and country regions. We work with Chaplaincy Australia to ensure Chaplains have a wide range of support and training available to them. Chaplains are provided 4 training sessions a year, covering a range of subjects that are necessary and useful to their ongoing development.
Our Difference
Life!Central Services is a Chaplaincy Provider with a difference. We believe that each school community has its own culture, values, goals and challenges and as such requires its own chaplaincy program. Life!Central doesn’t tell you what we offer rather we work with school leadership to create a NSCP (National Schools Chaplaincy Program) work plan that fits the unique needs of the school, within the NSCP guidelines. This may include but is not limited to, mentoring, social skills and friendship skill groups, one on one, small group or class based activities, in class support, running of parent support or community support groups, skills based programs or aiding welfare officers.
Hiring Process
The hiring of chaplains is a cooperative process between Life!Central and the school . We start the process by gaining an understanding of what the chaplaincy role will look like and understanding the schools values and needs we then advertise the position through local channels and all resumes are vetted by Life!Central staff. Through this vetting process Life!Central looks at 4 key factors:
- Can this person work within the National School Chaplaincy Program guidelines?
- Does this person reflect the values of Life!Central Services?
- Is this person a low risk candidate for the school and Life!Central Service?
- Will this person add to the existing culture, values and goals of the school?
Applicants are then contacted and given a phone interview by Life!Central Staff and references checked. At this point we email all successful applicants CVs to school leadership for consideration. Interviews are organised through Life!Central for those applicants the school would like to meet with. Life!Central staff will be present for these interviews, however this time is for school leadership to interview the candidate. The final decision is for the school leadership to make and Life!Central staff will be there to facilitate the process of hiring and induction. All Life!Central chaplains go through an accreditation and induction process with Life!Central and we do ask that schools go through an induction process related to their policies and procedures.
Salary & Fees
We know that schools have limited resources and we want to see as much of this go towards the students as possible, so we do not charge any fees over the $20,000 funding supplied through the NSCP. Out of the $20,000 funding a $2,500 administration fee goes towards providing ongoing support to schools, hiring, training and reviewing of chaplains. The other $17,500 is the wage paid to the chaplain who is required to work at least 400 hours in the calendar year. Life!Central Services works with schools to create a contract that is both beneficial to the school and the chaplain hired, with Life!Central requiring at least 2 days of work and 12 hours a week, worked by chaplains.
Ongoing Training
Throughout the year chaplains undergo training at Life!Central Services during school holidays and we ask that if chaplains or schools have certain areas they would like the chaplains to have training in that they feel free to communicate this with the Program Director. As well as providing training four times a year, the Program Director also reviews the chaplain twice a year. This process includes the chaplain undergoing a self-review and the Program Director meeting with school leadership for feedback on the chaplain. These two processes are then used for Life!Central staff to review the chaplain and aid them in any areas that may need strengthening and reinforce any communications already made by school leadership and help chaplains act on it.
Our Commitment
Life!Central believes in being a best practice provider and as such asks out chaplains not just to reach the status quo but to go beyond it, so that the school, it’s students, staff and families have positive and safe experiences with chaplains. Life!Central Services understands that the NSCP has set guidelines for the purposes of ensuring this and so we do not do anything contrary to those guidelines, this includes counselling students. Life!Central chaplains will aid and run programs in which students are pastorally cared for, given the ability to learn skills and tools but will not participate or run counselling sessions with students. Any students that require such care will be referred to the correct services as designated by the school.
We look forward to further discussions on how Life!Central can work with your school regarding the NSCP. Our contact details are:
Program Director: Drew Gormlie