THE VALUE OF CHAPLAINS IN VICTORIAN SCHOOLS A idepedet research report ito the views of studets, parets, chaplais ad school pricipals. August, 2009
THE IMPACT OF CHAPLAINS IN OUR SCHOOLS ACCESS miistries trais, employs ad supports chaplais i 280 primary ad secodary schools withi Victoria. We are committed to improvig the value ad impact of our Chaplaicy program. We are also committed to the chaplai beig a active member of the school commuity, egagig with pricipals ad teachers, studets ad parets as well as other service providers withi the school ad broader commuity. I May 2009, ACCESS miistries commissioed the social research group Social Compass, to coduct a idepedet evaluatio to discover: the value of chaplais their social, spiritual ad academic impacts A overview of the research report from Rev Dr Evoe Paddiso, CEO, ACCESS miistries. the differece made to the health, well beig ad quality of life of studets, ad the cotributios made to stregthe commuities The research process aalysed survey results from 231 studets ad 279 parets across 25 schools. It also aalysed the results of focus groups coducted with ACCESS miistries chaplais ad with a selectio of primary ad secodary school pricipals whose schools have chaplais. Social Compass has a fie track record of such research work for govermet departmets, corporatios ad commuity groups. Their full report will be available i prit ad o our website. I would like to thak Dr Jeha Loza ad Dr Brad Warre, the pricipal authors, for their diligece ad the carefully defied challeges outlied i the fial report. This report will summarise several of them. I am delighted with both the edorsemets ad challeges. They help us to feel eve more passioately about expadig the umber ad role of our chaplais withi schools. Our chaplais cotiue to meet sigificat eeds. I commed this report to you, ad ivite your feedback. Rev Dr Evoe Paddiso CEO, ACCESS miistries 2
Chaplais are ivolved i a broad spectrum of activities (usually as the eed arises) ad play a critical role as a advisor o a wide rage of issues. The majority of parets ad studets i the survey agreed or strogly agreed that chaplais play a very importat role i their school ad that their mai role at school is cocered with studet well beig. The moder chaplai is icreasigly from various religious deomiatios. While he or she geerally provides a professioal, safe, cofidetial spiritual presece for a school, the chaplai will model their faith, address secular issues ad oly speak o spiritual issues whe ivited to do so. Chaplais come from diverse backgrouds. Depedig o the school, their role varies from a educatioal role, to studet well beig to commuity well beig. May chaplais saw their role as a vocatio ad all affirmed that their role was a callig. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SCHOOL CHAPLAIN? There are gifts I thik are required....there s a gift of compassio but I also thik there s a gift of readig. To be able to read a situatio particularly with youg people who do t have the words or do t kow how to say there s somethig wrog. To be able to pick...you eed people skills, you eed empathy, you eed compassio (Chaplai). The surveys idicated that chaplais have a job descriptio with aroud 41 activities i which they may be called to participate, ad about 25 broad areas of the school s life i which they may be called to provide advice. Clearly the compassio is ot the oly job requiremet. My child goes with her frieds for a friedly chat - I am most comforted to kow if pressures ever got too much, the chaplai would be aother outlet that would liste. (Paret). 3
CHAPLAINCY - WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? Chaplais are dealig with a sigificat umber of serious ad ofte highly sesitive cases that demad trust ad cofidetiality. Studets i the survey have great levels of trust i the chaplai. Accordig to studets, this is because the chaplai is friedly, iclusive, approachable, carig ad helpful. For some studets, the chaplai is trustworthy simply because of their positio as chaplai. The majority of studets had used the chaplaicy service. Further, the majority of studets idicated they would willigly talk to their school chaplai o a rage of issues icludig persoal, school related ad social problems. At the momet., i the last week I ve got two Grade 5 kids o suicide watch (Chaplai). The majority of parets believe that it is importat for their child s school to have a chaplai. Despite havig low levels of accessig the chaplai s services themselves, most idicated they would ecourage their childre to use chaplaicy services where eeded. The overwhelmig majority of both parets ad studets felt that learig about morals ad values i schools was importat. The specific activities of a chaplai will vary from school to school, depedig o the eeds. They will almost always ecompass such thigs as beig a listeig ear ad providig pastoral care, the formatio ad ruig of a rage of schoolbased programs, as well as participatio i school fuctios, assemblies ad sportig evets. To expad, commo activities might iclude camps, excursios, leadership programs, helpig studets with schoolwork or just providig somewhere safe to go. Chaplais are geerally required to work collaboratively as a part of a school s welfare team. It is o exaggeratio to say that, i the course of ay give day, chaplais may be called upo to do a bit of everythig. A repeated accolade for chaplais durig this research was that they added value. They were a extra aveue of support who could step i ad fill gaps as required, ad just be there for studets who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Support for school pricipals ad staff frequetly takes a more tagible form. May pricipals reported that they valued the chaplai s role as cofidat, particularly sice chaplais, while located withi the school, were ot perceived as formal parts of its structure. Such iformality, with both studets ad staff, frequetly opeed doors to commuicatio. May studets reported their willigess to talk to the chaplai simply o the grouds that they were ot a teacher. Chaplaicy services have frequetly bee described as holistic, ot oly i terms of the rage of services they offer, but also i their ivolvemet both withi schools ad outside them. Rather tha dealig with issues reactively, i a cliical case by case maer, chaplais are more proactive ad ted to be cocered with the whole of studets well beig ad developmet. 4 May parets reported a hope that their childre would maitai cotact with their chaplai beyod their schoolig. Chaplais perform may rites of passage ceremoies that exted well beyod their school based resposibilities, icludig weddigs, fuerals ad memorial services.
The majority of studets ad parets aswered that they were eutral as to whether they felt the role of a chaplai was differet to that of a cousellor. Resposes from studets showed that for persoal ad school related problems, they preferred to see a chaplai. For may chaplais, matters of pastoral care ad of spiritual support ad growth are iseparably itertwied. May argued that pastoral care is their primary activitiy. Furthermore, the fidigs suggest that chaplais are a value add to school pricipals, staff ad welfare teams. The support role of school chaplaicy may also ehace educatioal outcomes, through ehacig studet retetio rates. Parets idicated that they viewed chaplais as holistic ad people orietated, less costraied by time ad case by case methods, with a focus o developig ogoig relatioships with staff, studets, their families ad the wider commuity. This was illustrated through may stories of ogoig assistace, as well stories of the chaplais help durig times of emergecy such as bushfires, bullyig or bereavemet. At the momet., i the last week I ve got two Grade 5 kids o suicide watch (Chaplai). This research idetified five major features i the life ad role of a chaplai: Chaplaicy as Christia miistry The available literature idetifies this aspect of chaplaicy as its sigle most uique aspect, the oe service that o other provider ca deliver. Noetheless, while this is true, direct teachig or eve discussio of Christiaity has ot bee idetified by chaplais as the key part of their roles. It is sigificat that chaplais are i place to discuss the spiritual aspects of studets lives should studets wish to do so. Further, may chaplais made the poit that the spiritual aspect of their role could ot be separated out from the rest of their activities, as their faith uderpis or iforms everythig that they do. Chaplaicy as pastoral care Chaplais geerally idetify this aspect of their work as makig up the majority of their activities. I broad terms, pastoral care i a school cotext SCHOOL CHAPLAINS AND THEIR ROLE ivolves urturig ad guardiaship, as well as beig available to discuss a wide rage of issues that may be of cocer to studets, icludig bullyig, peer acceptace, drug ad alcohol issues ad family problems, to ame a few. Chaplaicy as a school support service The value added aspect of chaplaicy is agai relevat here. Havig someoe extra o had to assist as required was ot uderestimated by pricipals i the survey. From tasks as importat as crisis maagemet to as meial as photocopyig, the capacity of chaplais to help relieve pressure from pricipals ad staff is a ivaluable aspect of their role. Support for the school also icludes the provisio of pastoral care ad listeig services to pricipals ad staff ad a ability to draw o exteral agecies, a capability ehaced with liks to the wider commuity. Chaplaicy as relatioship buildig ad modellig The fidigs of this report emphasise the holistic ature of chaplais relatioships with studets, a approach that is precisely about buildig relatioships, developig rapport, ad fosterig logevity i cotacts with studets ad their families that will exted throughout a studet s schoolig, ad perhaps eve beyod. Such a approach is distictly differet from those provided by other providers. With regard to relatioship modellig, it is agai worth metioig the drive of may chaplais to demostrate Christia based values ad morals by example. Chaplaicy as commuity work The fial uique ad distiguishig feature of chaplais cocers the extet to which their work exteds beyod the school, 5
fosterig liks ad relatioships with the wider commuity. This icludes providig services ot oly for studets, but also for their parets (whe called upo to do so), ad for mediatig betwee parets ad studets ad betwee parets ad the school. The social impacts of chaplaicy are the cocrete outcomes of their roles, the tagible results of the wide rage of activities described. Not least of these is a geeral otio that chaplais provide a safety et ; they foster a sese of well beig for studets, a uderstadig that there is always somewhere to go, someoe to talk to, should the eed arise. This was reflected i the fidigs of this research, i that 72.7% of studets reported that they were very comfortable speakig with the chaplai, although oly 43.7% claimed to have spoke with him/her more tha oce. Chaplais facilitate a rage of schoolbased programs, further measurable outcomes of their social impact. These programs address such matters as life skills, morals ad values educatio, ati bullyig / ati harassmet courses, ad a rage of others. I more geeral terms, the social impacts of chaplaicy also iclude their availability as a fried ad cofidat, as a adult who ca be trusted, ad as a role model for studets. I may cases, the chaplai is the eyes ad ears of a school, a role made possible by their uique positioig, as well as by the fact that a chaplai s role teds to be 24/7 there is ever a time whe they are ot o call. [Our] Secodary College is a stad aloe college i North West Victoria caterig for almost 900 VCE ad VCAL studets. These studets come to us from five mai feeder schools ad may from outside the public educatio system. Such a large group of 15 19 year olds provides sigificat challeges for [our Chaplai] ad our well beig team. This is particularly true i recet times whe the drought has produced eormous challeges for a commuity depedat o irrigatio. [Our Chaplai] makes a woderful cotributio to the life of our school where he delivers classes i Religio ad Society, ad Philosophy ad udertakes the coordiatio of our five Aual Debutate Balls ad builds studet coectedess to the school via the productio of a outstadig aual DVD focussig o all studets. [He] has bee Chaplai of our school sice 1996 ad while his ogoig work has bee ivaluable it was his efforts durig ad sice the horrific accidet that took the lives of six teeagers that have distiguished him as a leader i maitaiig the well beig ad success of our school commuity (Pricipal Secodary College). I would have thought that it would be i the best iterest of the school [to have a Chaplai]. I would thik if the school did ot have a chaplai, the help that uderprivileged families receive would disappear (Paret). 6
The majority of parets, pricipals ad chaplais believe that much would be lost if the chaplaicy service i their schools ceased. Elemets that would be lost iclude a role model ad a safe, eutral support to studets, a vital cog i the welfare team ad support to pricipals ad staff as well as a mediatig ad bridgig role for studets, families ad the commuity. The impacts of the ACCESS miistries Victoria Schools Chaplaicy Program o studets academic outcomes are a little less tagible, yet oetheless of vital importace. A lik ca be draw here: happy studets are more productive. It seems likely that studets who are ot stressed about their parets divorce or schoolyard tormetig, or hugry or cold, depressed or axious will have more metal eergy to dedicate to their studies. Further, this research foud that school avoidace / refusal / truacy are other areas upo which chaplais ca be called to provide pastoral care. Maitaiig the liks betwee studet well beig, social coectedess ad academic achievemet is quite a challege. This research makes it clear that the Victoria Schools Chaplaicy Program is goig a log way towards meetig that challege. The Victoria Schools Chaplaicy Program also has positive impacts upo studet health ad well beig. A very strog 81.8% of studets expressed the opiio that a chaplai s mai role at school is cocered with their well beig. Studet health ca also be affected i less direct ways: as a result of chaplais locatio o the groud, they are well positioed to see whe studets are i eed of clothig, food ad other fudametals. I a more orgaised fashio, school breakfast programs, aother (relatively) commo activity of chaplaicy services, also cotribute to studets overall well beig ad health. The ACCESS miistries Victoria Schools Chaplaicy Program provides a uique service to Victoria schools. The views expressed i this report are strogly reflected i all data collected for this project, whether through iterviews, surveys, or the available literature. Rarely do all sources of data speak with such accord. THE IMPACT OF THE VICTORIAN SCHOOLS CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM icreasigly small commuities are fidig it more difficult to do this. With the umber of studets disegaged from regular schoolig ad fidig it difficult to cope with a wide rage of challegig circumstaces i their lives, the eed for a chaplai is sigificat. (Pricipal Secodary College) Curretly, there is a absolute eed for chaplaicy services ad this eed is ot addressed through ay other chael. This begs the questio: if chaplais were ot there, who would perform this life chagig ad i some cases life savig work? I mea the studet support services [icludig Chaplai] at our school do everythig the churches used to do. You kow provide uiforms, food, breakfast, all those sort of thigs for kids... Coectios to other agecies... A commuity to belog to (Pricipal). The chaplai service is a excellet Govermet iitiative which is fuded over three years. The difficulty for tows like ours is what will happe at the ed of the three years. Hopefully the fudig commitmet will cotiue. Whilst it is true that commuities ca ofte fudraise ad fid other fiacial meas to support a chaplai, 7
ACCESS miistries GPO Box 5124 Melboure VIC 3001 P: (03) 9804 0733 Freecall TM 1800 063 341 www.accessmiistries.org.au www.socialcompass.com