Scipture Union Queensland chief executive Tim Mander at an event to support the chaplains in schools program.

The school chaplaincy program has become the subject of dire pronouncements of "religion being forced on our schools" and now a High Court challenge that began this week.

It's surprising that this relatively benign decision —
to allow school communities the option to receive federal funding for a
chaplain – is so controversial, considering chaplaincy has existed
within many spheres of Australian society for years.

During recent disasters, such as bushfires, floods and
cyclones, chaplains were well accepted as providers of an important role
in the multi-faceted community response. Chaplains have also proved
valuable in more than just disaster response. For example, the "Salvos"
embody the pastoral care and spiritual support that typifies the role,
and have been a much loved part of the Australian landscape for decades.

Similarly, chaplaincy in schools is not new, having
started in some states more than 50 years ago, and chaplains have long
been in the emergency services, hospitals, the defence forces, and even
professional sporting teams.

The High Court Challenge threatens funding for more than
2500 chaplains across Australia, and whether the current concerns spring
from ideology or from a lack of information, understanding the National
School Chaplaincy Program is important.

Importantly, having a school chaplain is voluntary. In
the first instance, a school community will decide whether it wants a
chaplaincy service, and then they agree on the faith background of the
prospective chaplain. The reason that the majority of school chaplains
come from the Christian faith is because the school community has made
that collective choice.

Nevertheless, no matter what the faith of the chaplain,
they provide comfort and support to all students and staff, regardless
of their religious affiliation or beliefs. People often make the mistake
of equating religious education classes with chaplaincy, however, the
two are separate and distinct in role, function and personnel.

A key piece of misinformation muddying the issue is the
false assertion that chaplains are there to proselytise. The inability,
or unwillingness, to differentiate between imposition of religious
beliefs, and serving spiritual needs, is fundamental to this confusion.

Spirituality is not something to be denied or feared.
Rather, the 2008 "Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young
Australians", which was developed by the state,
territory and Commonwealth ministers of education, states that schools
play a vital role in ensuring the economic prosperity and social
cohesion of Australia through "promoting the intellectual, physical,
social, emotional, moral, spiritual and aesthetic development and
wellbeing of young Australians". It's a fair statement then to say that
the spiritual development and wellbeing of young Australians can't be
promoted without people who have been trained to serve spiritual needs
when they arise.

Further, a false dichotomy being parlayed is whether we
should employ chaplains or counsellors in our schools. This
"one-or-the-other" approach doesn't recognise that chaplains work in
partnership with other caring professionals in the wider school
community, yet have a unique and distinctive role.

A chaplain serves the community in a "first-response
capacity" by providing pastoral care, spiritual support and referral
pathways to access specialist crisis support.

They are able to do this as they are approachable, having
a neutral, rather than disciplinary role. They are also accessible,
proactively building networks of relationships with school communities.
This accessibility often allows them to be made aware early of
situations, allowing them to provide effective referrals to other
professionals. Some anecdotal reports suggest that more students are now
accessing professional counselling due to increased referrals from
chaplains.

A misrepresentation that often fuels suspicion or angst
is the cost of the program. Rarely does it get pointed out that the
annual funding for each school in the program is $20,000. This means
about one-third of chaplaincy funding needs to be raised from the
community, and has led to a type of government-community partnership,
which is both cost-effective and increases community cohesion.

The care of school communities is of critical importance,
and unfortunately, the issue of whether chaplains are capable and
qualified is awash with misunderstanding. It's important for the
community's peace of mind to know that all chaplains employed by member
organisations of the National School Chaplaincy Association (which
employs 85 per cent of chaplains in government schools) have minimum
training requirements, and they receive ongoing professional
development.

Importantly, qualified educational professionals overwhelmingly endorse the program. In a 2009 national survey it was found
that 98 per cent of responding principals who had a chaplain in their
school wanted government funding for school chaplaincy to continue.

Whether school principals get their wish remains to be
seen. The High Court challenge is based around constitutional federal
and state rights, and it's difficult to know where the decision may
fall.

Whatever the outcome, one thing is sure: chaplains
promote wellbeing in our community, and we must find a way to keep them
in schools.

Tim Mander is the chief executive of Scripture Union Queensland, Australia's largest