A Funding Update from the CEO of YouthCARE
YouthCARE welcomes the announcement of the New Labor Federal Government for its support of school communities through the school chaplaincy program with the addition of student welfare workers being introduced to the program.
This announcement augments funding to the strong support YouthCARE’s school chaplaincy has received from the McGowan Labor Government and successive previous state governments in Western Australia.
In 2021, the McGowan Labor Government made a significant step and committed to funding school chaplaincy for any state schools that wishes to access this service. The program is currently being rolled out in WA with overwhelming subscription for the service.
“The school chaplaincy service has strong support in the Western Australian community” said Tamsyn Cullingford, the CEO of YouthCARE.
She said that “For over 40 years, YouthCARE’s school chaplains have made a vital contribution by supporting the wellbeing of students and school communities as part of the school’s wider welfare support program. The work of our chaplains has been critical in supporting school communities, especially during the height of the COVID-19 challenges faced by our community.”
YouthCARE’s school chaplains are well trained. They hold a minimum Certificate IV in community services or equivalent, with over 70 % of chaplains exceeding this minimum qualification and a significant number holding graduate qualifications in related fields, such as human services, education, social science and pastoral care.
Alongside its school chaplaincy services, YouthCARE also provides its highly valued Pastoral Critical Incidence Chaplaincy service to school communities in response to critical incidents throughout WA. In addition to this, YouthCARE also provides chaplaincy to school principals in several regional and remote communities.
YouthCARE looks forward to working with the Federal Minister in support of school chaplaincy in Western Australia.
